'• 


Modern  Spiritualism  Laid  Bare, 


UNMASKED,  DISSECTED, 


Viewed  from  Spiritualists'  Own  Teachings,  and  from 
Scriptural  Standpoints. 


WHAT  IT  Is;  WHAT  ITS  INFLUENCES;  To  WHAT  IT  LEADS; 
AND  WHAT  ITS  FINAL  END  WILL  BE. 


COMPLETE  IN  Two  PARTS: 

Part  Second  being  an     Appendix  to  and  continuation  of  Part  First.    Also  containing 

AUTOBKXJRAPHICAL    SKETCHES   of  the 

LIFE  OF  THE  AUTHOR, 

And  of  His  Travels  on  the  American  Continent,  The  Holy  Land,  and  in  Europe. 

ADDRESSED  AND  DEDICATED  TO  His  SON, 

BY  DR,  JOHN  BOURBON  WASSON, 

Author  of  "The  Land  of  Sacred  Story,"   (Written  while  Exploring  Egypt,  Palestine, 
and  Syria;  Revised  while  living  at  Rome)  now  Ready  for  the  Press.     Also  of  A 
Popular  Treatise,  published  while  Engaged  in  Practice— "The  Family     m 
Guide  to  Homoeopathy."      Also,    "  Homoeopathy   Explained 

from  a  True  Standpoint ;  What  It  Is."     "The  Dental          

Messenger,"  &c.,  &c. 


SAN  FRANCISCO  : 
BACON  &  COMPANY,  BOOK  AND  JOB  PRINTERS, 

Corner  Clay  and  Sansome  Streets. 
1887. 


JO 

AllS«3AINn 

3HJL  JO 

*\ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1887,  by 

DR.  JOHN  BOURBON  WASSON, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


PREFACE. 

(!N  BRIEF.) 


THE  wisest  man* concerning  whom  we  have  any  record,  either 
in  ancient  or  modern  history,  tells  us  that  "  There  is  nothing 
new  under  the  sun,"  etc.,  and  the  Author  of  this  little  book,  be- 
lieving this  to  be  true,  claims  no  originality  in  anything  he  may 
write,  whether  it  relates  to  what  he  may  have  read  or  heard 
from  others,  or  indeed  what  he  may  have  seen  with  his  own 
eyes,  heard  with  his  own  ears,  or  even  passed  through,  either  in 
the  material  or  spiritual  form,  however  startling,  mysterious  or 
strange,  and  spiritual  or  spirituelle,  many  of  the  things  he  is 
about  to  relate  may  indeed  seem. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  in  concluding  this  short  preface,  that  all  that 
will  be  found  written  in  this  book  shall  be  facts,  and  veritable 
facts  only — so  far,  at  least,  as  the  author's  personal  knowledge 
may  be  given — feeling  deeply  not  only  his  personal  responsi- 
bility to  every  reader  into  whose  hands  this  may  come,  but  his 
deep  personal  and  individual  responsibility  to  his  Creator — God 
— also,  in  the  last  great  day  of  final  account. 
Respectfully  and  truly, 

THE   AUTHOR. 

SAN  FRANCISCO,  CAL,  A  D.  1887. 


131833 


INDEX. 


PREFACE 5 

INTRODUCTION 13 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  Mysterious  and  Lonely  Island  ;  A  Strange  Book  taken  from  It, 
which  tells  of  the  Most  Wonderful  Visions,  Revelations,  and  of 
Celestial  Spirits  or  Beings  in  Another  World  ;  Written  many 
Centuries  ago ;  Has  been  Seen  by  Many,  Read  and  Studied  by 
Some,  and  but  Little  Understood  by  Any 15 


CHAPTER  II. 

False  Teachings  ;  Some  of  the  Beasts  in  the  Apocalypse,  representing 
Modern  Spiritualism,  Goddess  of  Liberty  in  the  French  Revolu- 
tion, her  Nudity,  and  the  Frenchman's  Chickans  without  Feath- 
ers, Novel- Reading,  etc.,  etc 19 


CHAPTER  III. 

Spiritualism,  or  "New  Christian  Science,"  so  called,  viewed  from 
Scriptural  Evidence,  and  their  own  Teachings ;  The  Touch- 
stone Applied 22 


CHAPTER  IV. 
Marriage,  Free  Love,  Socialism,  etc 29 

CHAPTER  V. 

Spiritualism  and  Spirit  Teachings,  as  Testified  to  and  Viewed  by  Spirit- 
ualists themselves.   32 


INDEX. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Politics  of  Spiritualists,  which  Combines  Church  and  State,  all 
to  be  Controlled  entirely  on  Spiritualistic  Principles,  such  as 
Taught  in  the  preceding  Chapters,  and  which  is  to  Crush  out  and 
Break  in  Pieces  all  Present  forms  of  Government 36 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Questions  for  the  leaders  in  the  New  Government ;  to  be  answered 
freely,  without  Mental  Reservation,  and  Subscribed  to  Promptly, 
as  a  test  of  Qualification 42 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  dreadful  doom  awaiting  those  who  shall  oppose  the  New,  or  Celes- 
tial government,  or  revile  and  scoff  at  Modern  Spiritualism.  They 
must  speedily  be  brought  to  the  altar  of  human  sacrifice,  after  un- 
told, fearful  calamities  have  come  upon  them.  An  awful  retri- 
bution awaits  those  who  oppose  "  Spiritual  Communion." 44 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Common  Evidence  of  Spirits  unreliable  as  to  Identity,  either  in 
Character,  Age,  Sex,  Origin,  or  Future  Condition,  or  whether 
Human  or  Animal ;  all  depending,  no  doubt,  upon  the  Astuteness 
and  .^Estheticism  of  the  Developing  Medium  in  the  occult  and 
mysterious  Science  and  Art 47 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures  all  clearly  Declare  against 
Spiritualism,  and  its  Teachings  can  Nowhere  be  Found  in  the 
Bible.  The  Subject  carefully  Examined,  Weighed  in  the  Balance, 
and  found  Wanting.  "  To  the  La  wand  to  the  Testimony;  if  They 
[the  Spirits]  Speak  not  According  to  the  Word,  it  is  Because 
there  is  no  Light  [or  Truth]  in  them." — Isaiah  8 : 20.  Also,  I 
John  4:1,  "  Beloved,  Believe  not  Every  Spirit,  but  try  the  Spirits, 
whether  they  are  of  God  for  Many  false  Prophets  are  Gone  out  into 
the  World." 55 


INDEX. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Miracles  and  Wonders  claimed  by  Spiritualists.  The  voice  of  God 
against  consulting  Familiar  Spirits  pointed  and  plain.  Unclean 
Spirits  described.  Texts  of  Scripture  claimed  by  Spiritualists,  to 
prove  their  Doctrines 62 


CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Saul,  the  Witch  of  En-dor,  and  Spirit  of  the  Prophet  Samuel, 
when  Shown  Up  in  the  True  Light,  Prove  Nothing  in  Favor  of 
Spiritualism,  neither  does  the  Spirit  which  Eliphaz  Saw,  when  its 
True  Character  is  Brought  to  Light 71 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Spirit  which  Eliphaz,  the  Temanite,  Saw,  Job.  4  :  12,  21.  Its 
Character  for  Truth  Questioned.  The  Angel  which  Balaam's 
Ass  Saw,  and  the  Voice  with  which  It  Spoke,  Considered.  Also, 
Moses  and  Elias,  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration 79 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Spiritualism  a  Demonstrated  Fact.    Its  General  Nature  and  Character 

as  Taught,  and  Believed,  and  Practiced,  Dissected  and  Laid  Bare.     86 


CHAPTER  XV. 
Being  a  continuation  of  Chapter  XIV 95 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Influences  of  Spiritualism  on  the  Human  Mind,  and  What  it  Leads 
to  in  its  Final  Results 101 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Divinity  of  Christ.  His  Resurrection,  Miracles,  etc.,  Viewed 
from  a  Christian  Standpoint,  in  Contradistinction  with  Spiritual- 
ism and  its  False  Teachings 103 


10  INDEX. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Age  in  Which  we  Live,  Viewed  in  the  Light  of  Prophecy  and 

its  Closing  Scenes 108 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

Continuation  of  Subject  of  Preceding  Chapter,  Further  Showing  the 
Vivid  Imagination  of  Spiritualism,  Together  with  a  Narration  of 
the  Author's  Personal  Experience  on  the  Subject 119 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Subject  of  last  Chapter  continued,    with  Spirit  Manifestations  Dis- 
closed   124 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  brief  History  of  the  Origin,  Development,  and  Rapid  Progress  of 

Spiritualism,  and  the  Alarming  Attitude  it  has  Assumed,  etc 132 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

What  the  Author  Thinks  he  Believes,  and  What  he  Thinks  he  Does 
Not  Believe  about  Some  Things.  Addressed  to  Every  Reader, 
Personally 139 


DR.  J.  B.  WASSON  IN  PALES'llNE. 


INTKODUCTIOR 


IN  presenting  this  volume  to  the  public,  the  Author  does  so 
without  the  usual  form  and  stereotyped  apology,  such  as  "  deep- 
ly feeling  his  utter  incapacity  or  inability,  etc.,''  to  grapple  with 
the  subject  before  him,  for  he  feels  nothing  of  the  sort,  but 
rather  to  deal  candidly  and  tersely  with  facts  as  they  present 
themselves  to  his  mind,  remembering  the  old  maxim,  Que  s'tx- 
cuse,  s1  accuse  (He  who  excuses  himself,  accuses  himself) ;  feel- 
ing the  better  enabled  to  do  so  after  much  study,  careful  inves- 
tigation, and  deep  research,  together  with  the  advantages  of  much 
travel  and  extensive  acquaintance  in  different  countries,  and 
close  observation,  endorsed  by  long  personal  experience  in  many 
ways,  often  the  most  mysterious  and  strange  that  could  possibly 
happen  to  any  one  in  the  body,  or  in  mortal  flesh  ;  and  this,  too 
for  a  full  quarter  of  a  century,  as  he  desires  to  give  a  brief  auto- 
biography of  himself,  which  will  be  found  in  the  closing  chapters 
of  this  book,  and  which  may  be  read  perhaps  with  both  interest 
and  profit  before  perusing  this  work  further,  if  the  reader  pre- 
fers to  do  so. 

In  this  autobiography  will  be  found  reminiscences  and  many 
incidents  related  of  the  most  interesting  character  to  any  one 
who  takes,  the  trouble  to  read;  which  often  appear  more  like 
tales  of  fiction  or  romance  than  real  or  personal  history ;  and 
however  startling  or  mysterious  and  strange  many  of  these  nar- 
rations may  appear,  during  a  life  of  more  than  half  a  century 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

which  the  author  has  passed  through — often  the  most  checker- 
ed and  eventful — and  during  his  travels  and  residence  in  the 
United  States  and  on  this  Continent,  as  well  as  many  travels  in 
Europe,  in  the  far  East  or  Orient,  as  well  as  scenes  and  incidents 
related,  which  transpired  while  traveling  in  those  countries  and 
living  in  some  parts  of  them,  as  well  as  his  residence  in  Rome, 
etc.,  yet  every  word  is  true  as  truth  itself,  or  as  actual  history  can 
be  written. 

And  all  the  writer  would  ask,  further,  is  that  the  reader  will 
at  once  lay  aside  all  prejudice,  either  for  or  against  the  subject, 
and  study  and  read  carefully  this  small  treatise  for  the  purpose 
of  becoming  more  enlightened,  as  well  as  edified  and  instructed 
in  this  great  and  wonderfully  mysterious  and  strange  phenome- 
non— Spiritualism—  which  lies  before  him,  and  which  has  raised 
up  its  hydra-heads,  even  like  unto  those  "great  and  dreadful 
and  terrible  beasts,"  with  their  many  heads  and  horns,  etc.,  such 
as  Daniel  and  John  the  Revelator  speak  of  in  the  Prophecies, 
Revelations  and  Visions,  which  will  be  explained  in  the  most 
clear,  succinct  and  pointed  manner  in  connection  with  this,  so 
far  as  relates  to  the  subject  before  us. 


MODERN  SPIRITUALISM  LAID  BARE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

A  Mysterious  and  Lonely  Island  ;  A  Strange  Book  taken  from  It,  which 
tells  of  the  Most  Wonderful  Visions,  Revelations,  and  of  Celestial  Spir- 
its or  Beings  in  Another  World  ;  Written  many  Centuries  ago  ;  Has 
been  Seen  by  Many,  Read  and  Studied  by  Some,  and  but  Little  Un- 
derstood by  Any. 

HAVING  been  carried  away  at  one  time  in  mortal  vision  to  a 
most  desolate,  rocky,  bare,  and  lonely  island,  which  is  only 
about  eight  miles  in  length,  and  but  one  in  width,  and  eighteen 
in  circumference,  surrounded  by  the  ^Egean  Sea,  and  which  is 
now  called  "  Patmosa,"  also  "Patimo."  And  on  viewing  this 
little,  lonely,  barren  isle,  thus  cut  off  from  humanity's  reach, 
we  find  it,  as  we  have  said,  desolate  and  uninhabited  by  living 
man,  save  one  small  town  only. 

And  yet  it  still  has  its  charms,  which  memory  never  can  ef- 
face so  long  as  this  earth  stands ;  for,  permit  me  to  tell  you, 
kind  reader,  this  little  spot  to  which  we  refer,  has  a  halo  hang- 
ing round  and  over  it,  such  as  time  itself  can  never  obliterate  or 
blot  from  the  memory  of  millions  who  now  dwell  upon  earth, 
as  well  as  multiplied  millions  who  have  lived  in  ages  past. 

u  But  what  place,"  the  reader  is  ready  to  ask,  "  is  this,  and 
where  can  it  be,  which  is  of  such  wonderful  importance?" 
"  We  are  anxious  to  know  more  about  it,  unless  you  have  start- 


1 6  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BAKE. 

ed  out  with  some  old  story  of  romance  dressed  up  in  new 
cloth,  or  some  silly  tale  of  fiction." 

We  assure  you,  it  is  neither,  as  you  shall  presently  see,  but  a 
fact  founded  on  truth,  which  has  stood  for  more  than  eighteen 
hundred  years,  and  continues  so  to  stand,  as  firm  and  unshaken 
as  the  everlasting  hills,  and  Rocky  Mountain  chain  which 
crosses  this  Continent  of  ours,  dividing  the  East  from  the 
West. 

And  now,  what  we  are  about  to  further  tell  you  is  well  au- 
thenticated history,  which  has  been  believed,  and  is  still  be- 
lieved by  millions  of  people  at  the  present  day,  many  of  whom 
have  been,  and  are  still,  among  the  best  men  and  women,  too, 
and  the  best  minds  of  the  age  in  which  they  now  live  or  have 
ever  lived. 

But  to  return  again  to  the  lonely  isle  of  which  we  have  spok- 
en, and  give  very  briefly  a  more  minute  description,  which  may 
not  be  uninteresting  to  the  reader,  before  we  pass  on  to  further 
notice  of  the  subject  before  us. 

This  little  sad  and  lonely,  but  sacred,  spot  to  so  many,  we 
have  said  is  surrounded  by  the  ^Egean  Sea,  off  the  coast  of 
Asia  Minor,  between  the  Island  of  Icaria  and  the  promontory 
of  the  Island  of  Miletus,  which  juts  out  into  the  great  sea; 
and  the  small  town  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  being 
the  only  inhabited  site,  stands  perched  upon  a  high,  rocky 
mountain,  rising  up  abruptly  out  of  the  sea  also. 

About  half  way  up  this  mountain  on  which  the  town  is  built, 
there  is  to  be  seen  a  natural  grotto  in  the  rock  (usually  called 
a  cave).  In  this  lonely  cave,  some  eighteen  hundred  years  ago, 
dwelt  an  aged  man,  who  had  been  banished  thither  to  this 
lonely  spot  by  the  wicked  decree  of  a  certain  heathen  Emperor 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  17 

and  tyrant,  whose  name  was  Domitian.  At  the  time  of  this  ban- 
ishment (of  course,  for  the  remainder  of  his  lifetime)  this  harm- 
less old  man,  for  such  he  was,  and  holy  also,  had  already  arrived 
at  about  the  age  of  94.  And  it  would  be  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  at  so  great  an  age  he  would  certainly  not  live  very  long 
upon  this  barren  isle  and  in  that  lonely  cave,  and  that  he  had 
no  doubt  already  become  very  decrepit  and  feeble. 

But  such  was  not  indeed  the  case,  for,  as  we  will  tell  you  fur- 
ther on,  he  not  only  lived  to  escape  from  that  lonely  spot  to 
which  he  had  been  banished,  even  after  the  death  of  the  in- 
famously vile  tyrant  who  had  thus  doomed  him,  but  the  truth 
is — and  you  know  truth  is  often  stranger  than  fiction — this  old 
man,  while  there  on  that  island,  and  in  that  lonely  cave,  and  on 
a  certain  day,  saw  some  of  the  most  mysteriously  strange  and 
wonderful  sights,  as  well  as  saw,  and  even  talked  with  and  held 
intercourse  with  Celestial  beings  or  Spirits  in  another  world. 
But  just  how  long  these  communications  were  kept  up,  or  he 
was  permitted  to  behold  the  wonderful  visions  which  he  saw, 
this  ancient  record  does  not  exactly  tell  us ;  but  it  was  long 
enough,  however,  for  him  to  write  a  book,  telling  us  what  he 
did  see  and  hear,  that  had  been  indelibly  stamped  and  fixed  on 
the  tablets  of  his  memory,  never  to  be  forgotten.  And  al- 
though eighteen  centuries  have  passed  since  then,  during  which 
new  continents  have  been  discovered,  new  empires  established, , 
and  again  crumbled  and  fallen  to  decay,  and  new  governments 
and  kingdoms,  more  than  we  can  now  mention,  have  been 
set  up,  only  to  endure  for  a  time,  and  then  moulder  and  lapse 
back  again  into  oblivion,  yet  this  marvelous  book  of  spirit  com- 
munications and  visions  and  revelations  still  stands  out  in 
bright  and  living  characters,  as  does  its  aged  Author  in  the 


l8  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

hearts   of  all    who   have   ever   read   and   believed   his   writ- 
ings. 

And  perhaps  stranger  still  to  very  many,  as  it  will  no  doubt 
seem,  it  is  even  believed  by  some,  who  may  perhaps  be  more 
credulous  than  others,  that  this  same  Author,  although  he  wrote 
so  many  centuries  ago,  still  lives  here  in  mortal  flesh,  and  walks 
this  same  earth  of  ours. 

And  be  not  startled,  gentle  reader,  when  I  tell  you  further- 
more, that  this  belief,  however  strange  it  may  seem,  is  enter- 
tained by  some  of  the  best  and  most  earnest  Christian  minds 
who  live  to-day,  as  well  as  many  who  have  lived  in  long  ages 
past. 

But  where,  where,  you  are  ready  to  ask,  do  they  get  even  so 
much  as  a  scintilla  of  proof,  for  what,  perhaps,  you  may  be 
pleased  to  call  sheer  nonsense.  But  be  not  overamazed  when  I 
tell  you  further,  that  they  are  not  only  earnest,  intelligent  Chris- 
tian men  and  women  who  believe  this,  but  they  also  believe 
and  accept  the  whole  inspired  word  of  God,  and  earnestly  and 
conscientiously  try  to  obey  its  commands;  and  from  those 
Scriptures  they  derive,  at  least,  a  part  of  their  evidences  for  so 
believing  that  this  wonderful  man  of  whom  I  have  just  spoken 
still  lives  and  walks  this  earth,  as  I  have  said,  in  his  mortal  body. 

And  now,  to  conclude  this  chapter  briefly,  just  as  we  purpose 
this  whole  book  shall  be — some  who  read  this  are,  no  doubt, 
ready  to  ask  who  this  strange  and  mysterious  person  of  whom 
we  have  been  speaking  can  be ;  and  also  the  name  of  the  book ; 
and  when  I  tell  you  that  his  name,  and  the  name  of  the  book 
also,  is  as  familiarly  known  to  every  reader  and  student  of  the 
Bible  as  your  name  is  to  you,  I  have  simply  stated  a  fact,  which 
hardly  needs  to  be  dwelt  longer  upon. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  19 


CHAPTER  II. 

False  Teachings  ;  Some  of  the  Beasts  in  the  Apocalypse,  representing  Mod- 
ern Spiritualism,  Goddess  of  Liberty  in  the  French  Revolution,  her 
Nudity,  and  the  Frenchman's  Chickens  without  Feathers,  Novel  - 
Reading,  etc.,  etc, 

IN  the  Gospel  of  New  Testament  Scriptures  by  Matthew, 
24th  chapter,  Christ  tells  his  disciples,  "  That  in  latter  days 
there  will  arise  false  Christs  and  false  prophets,  which  shall  de- 
ceive the  very  elect,  if  it  were  possible."  And  that  apostle, 
"  the  beloved  John,"  in  his  Apocalyptic  vision,  tells  us  he  saw 
"  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs  come  up  out  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Dragon,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Beast,  and  out  of  the 
mouth  of  the  false  prophets,"  and  adds,  "  They  are  the  spirits 
of  devils  working  miracles,  which  go  forth"  unto  the  kings  of  the 
earth  and  of  the  whole  world"  etc. 

And  the  inspired  and  marvelously  gifted,  illustrious  Apostle 
Paul,  in  one  of  his  epistles,  tells  us  that  "  in  the  last  days  peril- 
ous times  shall  come,"  and  mentions  characters,  the  most  des- 
perately infamous  and  vile,  who  shall  arise,  "  having  a  form  of 
godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof,"  etc. 

Telling  us,  "  from  such  to  turn  away,"  for  this  sort,  said  he, 
"  are  they  which  creep  into  houses,  and  lead  captive  silly  wo- 
men, laden  with  sins,  led  away  with  divers  lusts,  ever  learning 
and  never  able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  (See 
II  Tim.  3f  6.) 

But  the  reader  is  perhaps  ready  to  ask,  "What  have  we  to 
do  with  the  passages  of  Scripture  referred  to  ?  "  And  we  an- 
swer, Nothing  for  the  present,  only  to  prove,  so  far  as  they  serve 


20  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

the  purpose,  just  what  age  we  now  live  in,  and  what  Modern 
Spiritualism,  so-called,  is,  when  viewed  from  a  Scriptural  stand- 
point ;  and  just  this,  and  nothing  more. 

And  that  is  simply  to  say,  that  when  once  stripped  of  its  cloak, 
under  which  is  .concealed  its  infamously  vile  and  corrupt  teach- 
ings, that  it  stands  forth  to  the  gaze  of  every  one  as  nude  or 
naked  and  destitute  of  covering  as  did  the  Goddess  of  Liberty, 
which  was  none  other  than  a  notorious  theatrical  courtesan,  and 
was  exposed  to  the  public  gaze  and  admiration  of  those  who  led 
the  French  Revolution  in  Paris  a  century  ago.* 

And  that  thus  it  is  with  Spiritualism,  seemingly  perfect  in  all 
its  appointments  and  manifestations,  and  however  subtle  and 

*  Or  as  bare  of  any  covering  as  was  the  French  chemist's 
chicken.  He,  having  carefully  formulated  the  substance  of  an 
egg,  endeavored  to  hatch  it  out  if  possible  ;  and  placing  it  in  a 
suitable  temperature  f6r  the  purpose,  he  watched  it  with  the  most 
intense  anxiety,  day  and  night,  for  many  days,  when  lo  !  to  his 
unspeakable  joy  he  saw  the  bird,  of  whatever  kind  it  might  be, 
begin  to  peck  through  the  shell,  which  he  had  also  chemically 
prepared  for  the  egg  substance  within,  when  soon  the  young 
fledgling  (?)  came  out  in  perfect  health,  perfect  in  its  formation, 
members  and  functions,  though  of  nameless  origin  as  to  kind. 

And  now,  reader,  can  you  conceive  of  a  more  wonderful 
achievement  in  mechanics,  or  in  modern  science  and  art,  or 
even  in  chemistry,  than  the  creation  of  living  matter,  which  he 
had  actually  accomplished  ?  And  in  his  esctacy  of  joy  and  de- 
light he  came  well  nigh  losing  his  wits.  But  imagine  his  dole- 
ful look,  full  of  the  saddest  disappointment  that  can  be  conceiv- 
ed of,  when  behold,  the  bird  which  now  stood  before  him  made 
a  feeble  attempt  to  flutter  its  wings,  when  he  discovered,  for 
the  first  time,  that  his  wonderful  creation  was  entirely  destitute 
of  so  much  as  even  the  sign  of  down  or  a  feather,  but  stood  be- 
fore him  a  naked,  nameless,  "  What  is  it !  "  Here  wo  shall  at 
once  see  that  despite  his  almost  unbounded  science  and  genius, 
he  entirely  forgot  to  add  the  ingredients  which  compose  feath- 
ers. 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  21 

cunning  it  may  unfold  and  present  itself  in  its  different  garbs 
of  seeming  truth  and  light,  so  as  "  to  deceive,  even  if  it  were 
possible,  the  very  elect"  of  the  faithful  followers  of  Christ,  yet, 
as  one  who  has  faith  and  trust  in  him  and  by  his  grace  sustain- 
ing, and  spirit  so  directing,  we  propose  to  show  briefly  before 
we  are  done  with  the  subject  before  us,  that  this  hydra-headed 
monster  which  has  so  recently  appeared  (as  it  would  seem)  and 
yet  not  so  very  modern  in  its  origin  as  it  would  make  believe, 
will  have  its  feathers  plucked  from  it,  until  it  will  stand  before 
the  world  and  its  votaries,  as  unsightly  and  naked  as  did  the 
French  Atheistic,  Communistic,  Socialistic  and  Spiritualistic, 
fair  Goddess  in  her  nude  state,  or  the  chicken  of  the  same 
begetting. 

This  is  not  simply  an  idle  boast  or  threat,  engendered  either 
through  egotism  or  prejudice,  as  we  shall  certainly  endeavor  to 
give  no  place  to  either,  or  any  similar  weaknesses,  so  often  seen 
and  so  prevalent  either  in  book  writing  or  the  newspaper  press 
of  the  day ;  not  to  mention  the  insipid,  silly  nonsense  in  most 
of  the  sensational  novels,  and  other  yellow  backed  trash,  with 
which  all  enlightened  Christendom  is  now  being  flooded,  and 
which  are  so  loathsome,  obscene,  immoral,  degraded  and  de- 
moralizing in  their  influences  upon  every  reader  of  whatever 
age,  but  more  especially  upon  the  young  of  either  sex. 

Strange  indeed,  in  a  land  like  this,  a  Christian  land  so  called, 
where  the  most  stringent  laws  should  not  only  exist,  but  be  en- 
forced for  the  suppression  of  this  most  dreadful  evil,  as  well  as 
for  the  suppression  of  distilling  liquors,  their  sale  under  any 
pretext  whatever,  and  all  other  similar  vices  and  crimes. 


22  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Spiritualism,  or  "  New  Christian  Science,"  so  called,  viewed  from  Scrip- 
tural Evidence,  and  their  own  Teachings;  The  Touchstone  Ap- 
plied. 

THE  holy  prophet  Isaiah  tells  us  to  go — "  To  the  law  and  to 
the  testimony,  and  if  they  (the  spirits)  speak  not  according  to 
this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them." — Chap.  8: 

20. 

And  the  beloved  disciple  and  Apostle  of  our  Saviour  in  ist 
John  4:1,  " tells  the  followers  of  the  'meek  and  lowly  Naza- 
rene '  not  to  believe  every  spirit,  but  to  try  the  spirits,  whether 
they  be  of  God,  because  many  false  prophets  are  gone  out  into 
the  world." 

And  then  in  the  two  following  verses  he  tells  us  just  how  we 
are  to  "try  "  them,  and  also  gives  us  the  certain  evidences  where- 
by we  may  always  know  just  who  and  what  they  are.  "  Hereby 
know  ye,"  says  he,  "  the  Spirit  of  God.  Every  spirit  that  con- 
fesseth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh,  is  of  God ;  and 
every  spirit  that  does  not  this,  is  not  of  God,  but  is  the  spirit 
of  Anti-Christ,  which  is  now  in  the  world" 

But  some  who  read  this,  are  now  ready  to  ask  :  "  Do  not 
modern  Spiritualists  believe  in  Christ, "and  his  divinity  and  hu- 
manity ?  "  We  have  thought  they  did !  The  following,  kind 
reader,  is  what  they,  the  Spiritualists,  their  leading  lights  and 
teachers,  tell  us  about  that. 

"  lie  ( Chrisf)  was  tlie  natural  son  of  Joseph" — a  bastard — 
"  No  more  the  Son  of  God  than  you  or  I."  '*  He  did  no  mira- 
cles." "  No  matter  about  Christ  and  him  crucified—  dead  bodies 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  23 

are  of  little  consequence."  In  brief,  preach  a  living  Christ ; 
Christ  incarnate  in  our  present  humanity.  Christ  as  the  Christ 
principle.  "  Love,  truth,  wisdom,  the  great  redemptive  powers 
of  the  universe."  "  I  do  not  believe  Jesus  Christ  was  any  more 
the  Son  of  God  than  you  are."  I  believe  he  was  divine  and 
human  too.  "  So  are  you ;  I  should  pity  you  exceedingly  if  I 
believed  otherwise." 

In  answer  to  the  question,  "  By  what  right  do  Spiritualists, 
and  those  intelligences  said  to  be  Spirits  of  our  departed  friends, 
ignore  the  doctrine  of  the  literal  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
our  Saviour  ?  "  an  intelligent  Spirit  responds,  "  He  takes  it  for 
granted  that  Spiritualists  and  Spirits  have  no  belief  in  the  literal 
resurrection  of  the  body  of  Jesus." 

And  in  point  of  fact,  so  far,  he  is  only  consistent ;  for  in  the 
first  place,  it  is  contrary  to  all  known  laws  such  as  relate  to  nat- 
ural or  spiritual  law.  But  this  spirit  goes  further,  and  says  : 
"  That  such  a  man  lived,  that  he  died  a  natural  death,  that  he 
was  resurrected  as  all  souls  are,  we  fully  believe  ;  but  that  he 
rose  from  the  dead,  bodily  or  physically,  after  having  been  ab- 
solutely dead,  without  having  come  under  the  rule  of  nature  and 
its  laws,  we  deny.  We  deny  it  because  it  is  untrue,  because 
everything  in  past  history  declares  it  to  be  untrue,  and  he  whose 
senses  are  so  benighted  as  to  believe  it,  is  to  be  pitied,  and 
there  are  many  such  on  earth  today." 

What  a  startling  revelation  is  here  given  in  this  above  closing 
sentence,  namely :  that  there  are  actually  many  on  earth,  even 
at  the  present  day  who  do  indeed  believe  in  the  literal  resur- 
rection of  Christ's  body.  And  only  think  of  it,  Christian  reader, 
that  you  and  I,  and  all  who  are  so  benighted  and  ignorant  as 
to  thus  believe,  are  "  to  be  pitied."  But  this  wise  spirit  does 


24  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

not  tell  us  he  does  really  pity  us,  but  only  says  we  ought  to  be 
pitied  Let  us,  however,  follow  their  infinite  and  unbounded 
wisdom,  a  little  further. 

"  Christendom  directs  us  to  a  man,  who  lived  1800  years  ago, 
as  having  in  himself  a  power  to  heal  all  the  wounds  inflicted  on 
the  human  soul,  by  violation  of  the  laws  under  which  it  (the 
soul)  exists.  *  *  *  Nature  points  to  God  in  our  souls. 
The  Bible  says,  "  Look  to  Jesus  on  the  Cross."  Nature  says, 
"  Look  to  your  own  soul."  The  Bible  says,  *'  Seek  and  find 
eternal  life  in  the  blood  of  Christ."  Nature  says,  "Seek  and 
find  it  in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  your  own  soul,  that  primeval 
revelation  of  which  every  human  being  has  a  copy." 

"  Every  substance  endowed  with  life,  is  endowed  with  an  in- 
herent power  of  healing."  "  Every  man  and  woman  may  be, 
ought  to  be,  a  Savior,  a  Lamb  of  God,  to  take  away  the  sins 
of  the  world."  (The  above  are  the  inspired  teachings  of  one  H. 
C.  Wright,  a  leading  light  in  modern  spiritism.)  Concerning 
the  atonement,  another  great  leader  (S.  I.  Finney)  says,  "  All 
nature  gives  this  doctrine  in  the  face  the  lie."  "The  sins  of  a 
whole  race  forgiven,  blotted  out,  in  the  blood  of  a  reformer  ! 
It  is  awful !  Faith  in  a  living  and  suicidal  God  ?  What  natural 
relation  has  the  blood  of  the  righteousness  of  Christ  to  a  man's 
sins,  actually  committed  ?  Can  that  blood  wash  out  those  sins  ? 
No!" 

Death  and  the  resurrection.  On  these  subjects,  the  Spirits, 
through  their  mediums,  the  Spiritualists,  boldly  assert  that  it  is 
well  to  repeat, in  the  most  emphatic  manner,  "There  is  no  death! 
but  instead  thereof,  there  are  perpetually  unfolding  lives"  "All 
descriptions  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  are  so  many  fie- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  25 

"  The  resurrection  of  the  body  is  a  physical  impossibility  and 
a  mental  absurdity."  So  much  for  the  foregoing,  concerning 
the  JVazarene,  the  l  Savior  of  sinners?  the  'Son  of  the  living  God] 
upon  which,  however,  we  will  not  stop  now  to  comment.  But 
reader,  whoever  you  are,  whether  Christian,  saint  or  sinner,  in- 
fidel, Spiritualist  or  heathen,  let  me  earnestly  ask  you  to  pause 
just  here  for  a  few  moments,  before  reading  further,  and  seri- 
ously ask  yourself  the  question  :  "  What  can  all  these  things 
mean,  anyhow,  and  how  are  we  to  understand  them  ?  " 

Think,  I  say,  on  these  things — even  here  in  this  enlightened, 
Christian  land  of  ours,  with  all  the  intelligence,  education,  re- 
finement and  literature,  and  the  wonderful  and  indeed  marvel- 
lous developments  in  this,  the  last  half  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury— even  here,  on  this  Continent  of  ours,  without  going  abroad 
to  see  or  contemplate  this  hydra-headed  monster  in  the  alarm- 
ly  rapid  progress  which  it  is  making  in  other  lands. 

You  will  read  in  the  obituary  notices  of  their  papers  the  fol- 
lowing, when  speaking  of  persons  who  have  died  :  He  or  she 
"  passed  on,  to  dwell  with  kindred  spirits  " ;  "  ascended  to  Spir- 
it life  "  ;  "  passed  over  the  river  to  rest  with  the  Angels  "  ; 
"  Death  is  a  misnomer,  as  her  radiant,  uprisen  glory  proves,  be- 
yond all  doubt." 

In  answer  to  a  question,  "  What  new  truths  Spiritualism  has 
given  to  the  world,"  the  answer  is,  "  Here  is  one.  There  is  no 
death.  All  nature  throbs  with  life ;  throughout  the  boundless 
domain  of  the  universe,  nothing  dies.  No  other  system  or  re- 
ligion has  ever  announced  so  grand  and  inspiring  a  truth  as 
this,  therefore  it  is  one  of  the  new  truths  Spiritualism  has  given 
to  the  world." — Wr.  F.  Jamison. 

An  eminent  Christian  minister,  a  personal  friend  of  ours,  and 


26  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE. 

an  able  exponent  of  the  true  Christian  religion  (name,  T.  W. 
Smith),  now  doing  a  great  missionary  work  on  the  island  of  Ta- 
hiti, and  to  whom  we  acknowledge  our  indebtedness  for  many 
of  the  compilations  here  given,  pertinently  remarks,  that  "  The 
above  statement  is  hardly  a  new  truth  or  false  statement  either, 
for  it  is  a  very  old  sentiment,  uttered  by  the  first  inspirational 
medium,  in  the  garden  of  Eden  ;  even  the  serpent,  who,  in  con- 
tradiction to  the  word  of  God,  had  said  to  Adam  and  Eve,  in 
case  they  should  transgress,  *  Thou  shalt  surely  die ' ;  but  the 
inspirational  serpent  said,  '  Thou  shalt  not  surely  die,  but  shall 
be  as  gods,"  etc.  And  so  we  find  these  Spiritualists  today,  who 
have  no  doubt  taken  their  inspirational  teachings  from  the  same 
source,  viz.,  the  Father  of  lies,  and  are  now  simply  rehashing 
the  same  old  story  over  again,  which  Satan,  the  Prince  and  ori- 
gin of  all  modern  Spiritualism,  then  put  into  the  mouth  of  the 
serpent,  on  the  above  occasion.  As  for  sin  ;  they  tell  us 
'  There  is  no  such  thing  ' ;  '  no  future  judgment ' ;  '  Man  is 
being  judged  by  his  own  conscience.'  *  All  the  judgment  bar  we 
shall  ever  appear  before  is  the  inherent  sense  of  right.'  '  What- 
ever is,  is  right.'  *  Man  is  his  own  judge.'  '  The  most  despicable 
passions  of  men,  their  excesses,  their  rices  and  their  crimes,  often 
forward  more  certainly  the  good  cause  than  the  endeavors  of  the 
virtuous  man,  who  will  never  do  evil  that  good  may  come'  '  There 
are  greater  uses  in  sin  than  in  holiness.'  '  The  vital  spark  of 
Christianity  is  no  less  in  the  heart  of  the  sinner  than  it  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  saint.'  *  There  is  no  merit  in  what  the  world  calls 
religion,  and  there  is  no  demerit  in  what  the  world  calls  irreligion.' 
'No  one  church  has  a  truer  religion  than  any  other  church  (this 
of  course  includes  the  Mohammedan,  etc.),  and  all  the  other 
churches  have  no  truer  religion  than  the  great  church  of  sin- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  27 

ners  with  which  all  men,  if  not  visibly,  are  invisibly  connect- 
ed.' " 

Reader,  pause  a  moment,  and  consider  the  foregoing  sen- 
tences ;  analyze  carefully,  and  then  ask  yourself  the  question,  If 
indeed  anything  more  corrupt,  more  infamously  vile,  degrading, 
dreadful,  and  desperately  wicked  could  possibly  come  from  the 
lowest  depths  of  the  bottomless  pit.  And  yet  all  these  teach- 
ings are  promulgated  and  accepted  by  highly  educated,  intelli- 
gent men  and  women  not  a  few. 

Indeed,  they  are  only  consistent  with  the  whole  fabric,  warp, 
and  woof  of  modern  Spiritualism,  modern  Scientists,  etc.,  at  the 
present  day,  such  as  Huxley,  Tyndall,  and  others,  all  of  whom 
borrowed  their  faint  shimmerings  of  light  from  the  late  Darwin 
and  his  teachings,  and  to  whom  may  be  added  the  lesser  lights, 
such  as  Bob  Ingersol.  And  in  mentioning  Ingersol's  name 
among  others — for  I  can  barely  take  time  to  mention  it  in  this 
short  treatise — I  am  reminded  to  remark  that  I  have  sometimes 
wondered  how  many  out  of  the  vast  multitudes  of  Christian 
thousands  who  have  crowded  the  halls  all  over  our  own  country, 
and  paid  their  dollar  for  the  privilege  of  listening  to  this  gifted, 
bold  blasphemer,  and  foul-mouthed,  profane  orator  vilify  "  Mr. 
Moses,"  pointing  out  his  (Moses')  mistakes;  hurl  his  wicked 
anathemas  at  the  Bible  and  its  Author,  against  Jesus  Christ, 
the  great  teacher,  and  against  all  Christianity  in  general,  of 
whatever  name.  I  ask  and  wonder  how  many  of  these  profes- 
fessing  Christians  on  such  occasions,  when  clapping  their  hands, 
cheering  in  rapt  admiration  at  such  gifted  eloquence,  knew,  or 
even  yet  know,  that  Bob  Ingersol  is  a  bright  and  shining  light 
among  modern  Spiritualists,  and  believes  their  doctrine  and 
teachings  with  all  his  mind  and  soul.  But  this,  indeed,  is  sim- 


28  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE. 

ply  true,  whether  generally  known  outside  of  the  brotherhood 
of  Spiritualists  or  not.* 

*  Under  the  head  of  "  Christian  Science,"  a  new  healing 
method  has  been  recently  introduced  and  suggested  as  an 
"  Eastern  Idea,"  the  sum  of  which  is  that  health — physical, 
mental,  and  moral — is  something  everyone  can  acquire,  through 
instruction  and  practice  in  the  laws  of  divine  mind,  /.  <?.,  that 
the  teachers  of  the  science  treat  their  patients  for  spiritual  ills, 
leaving  bodily  or  physical  disease  to  take  care  of  itself.  And 
that  in  this  way,  by  thus  influencing  and  operating  on  the  spir- 
itual of  the  human  economy  or  organism,  the  17,000  diseases 
to  which  medical  experts  tell  us  poor,  frail  mortality  is  heir, 
can  be  eradicated  from  the  system,  as  well  as  all  pernicious 
vices  cured  effectual ly.  To  be  able,  however,  to  do  these 
things,  it  is  necessary  to  fully  impress  the  mind  with  the  under- 
standing that  we  arc  created  spiritually  as  well  as  physically, 
and  that  the  body  is  not  the  real  self.  It  is  also  argued  that 
one  who  believes  the  teachings  of  this  "  New  Science,"  so- 
called,  and  is  in  very  truth  a  Christian,  will  have  no  physical 
ills. 

They  also  hold  that  the  works  of  the  Nazarene  and  his  dis- 
ciples were  not  supernatural  or  miracles,  as  is  generally  supposed, 
but  can  be  performed  by  any  one  whose  knowledge  and  faith 
in  Christian  science  is  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  do  it. 
"  There  is  no  death,"  say  they.  "  You  are  created  as  a  spirit- 
ual being,  and  you  can  not  get  away  from  it.  What  we  call 
death  is  merely  a  cessation  of  the  action  of  the  mind  on  the 
body."  Or,  to  illustrate  more  fully,  the  body  is  even  now  al- 
ready dead,  and  is  merely  being  acted  on  by  the  mind,  or  ani- 
mated by  it.  And  when  all  animation  is  suspended  or  cut  off, 
and  dissolution  actually  takes  place,  the  being — him  or  herself 
— i.  e.t  spiritual  body,  continues  to  suffer  on  or  enjoy  just  the 
same,  only  independent  of  the  mortal  body,  of  course.  "Chris- 
tian Science,"  [they  tell  us]  is  an  understanding  of  who  and 
what  we  are  and  our  relations  to  all  life.  And  as  Love  is  pre- 
eminent among  all  controlling  powers,  so  will  Christian  Science 
and  Religion,  which  are  based  on  Love,  control  the  world." 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  29 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Marriage,  Free  Love,  Socialism,  etc. 

SPIRITUALISTS  present  their  views  on  the  subject  of  marriage 
in  the  following  language,  and  practice  accordingly :  "  Marriage 
is  the  fountain  of  selfishness,  the  cause  of  debauchery,  the  pro- 
lific mother  of  disease  and  crime.  We  charge  all  these  upon 
the  marriage  institution.  *  *  *  The  society  we  want  is  that 
of  men  and  women  living  in  freedom  and  governed  by  their 
attractions,  no  one  presuming  to  interfere.  The  very  mischiev- 
ous error  that  free  love  will  do  only  for  pure  and  elevated  beings 
must  be  exploded.  The  low  and  vile  must  have  its  elevating 
and  purifying  influence."* 

"  The  marriage  institution  of  man  is  wrong,  and  must  be  an- 
nulled ere  the  race  is  redeemed,"  says  another  writer.  And  a 
third  declares  that  "  All  advanced  Spiritualists  repudiate  mar- 
riage in  its  legal  sense,  and  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  affinities." 

Dr.  A.  B.  Childs'  teachings :  "  However  much  good  may 
have  been  claimed  for  and  experienced  by  the  old  institution 
of  marriage  by  law  in  the  past,  it  is  apparent  to  clear  sight  that, 
for  the  present  development  of  the  race,  it  is  an  institution  of 
woe.  The  rite  of  marriage  is  already  abolished  by  multitudes, 
and  ere  long  its  abolition  will  be  outwardly  proclaimed  by  the 
whole  people." 

And  this  learned  and  inspired  Spiritualistic  savant  further 
tells  us  how  to  remedy  certain  evils,  as  follows :  "To  banish 

*  The  above  found  in  a  Spiritual  magazine,  published  in  New 
York,  a  few  years  ago. 


30  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE. 

prostitution  from  cities  and  towns,  take  the  men  who  support 
it,  called  virtuous,  from  the  bondage  of  the  marriage  law."  "  To 
prevent  adultery,  take  law  away  from  marriage  relations."  "To 
declare  peace  between  husbands  and  wives,  remove  from  their 
necks  the  yoke  of  legal  marriage."  In  other  words,  pull  the 
halters  off  their  heads,  and  turn  them  loose.  And  by  doing  so, 
he  tells  us,  or  "  to  prevent  the  causes  of  divorce,  make  no  State 
legislation  on  marriage." 

"  To  make  the  tide  of  sexual  love  run  smooth,  pure,  holy  and 
undefiled,  let  nature's  laws  and  nature's  wisdom  rule " ;  and 
"so  let  human  souls  goon  in  nature's  way  of  progression." 
"  No  wonder,"  he  tells  us,  "  that  Christianity  is  a  failure.  Man 
alone  cannot  redeem  this  world.  *  *  *  We  never  should 
have  prostitutes  if  women  would  live  with  men  without  marry- 
ing them." 

At  the  Rutland  Reform  Convention,  as  early  as  1858,  it  was 
argued  if  a  man  loves  another  woman  better  than  his  wife,  he  is 
really  married  to  that  other  woman  ;  and  a  resolution  was  of- 
fered, that  the  only  true  and  natural  marriage  is  an  exclusive 
conjugal  love  between  one  man  and  one  woman. 

A  woman  who  addressed  the  Convention  held  that  marriage 
is  the  sole  cause  of  woman's  degradation  and  misery.  A  wo- 
man in  the  "  Educator,"  edited  by  A.  E.  Newton,  says  :  "  It  is 
reserved  for  the  present  day,  under  the  inspiration  of  spirits, 
for  woman  to  rise  and  assert  her  freedom.  No  man,  no  Church, 
or  set  of  men  shall  withhold  from  me  the  realization  of  that 
purest  of  all  aspirations,  inherent  in  every  true  woman,  the 
right  to  re-beget  myself,  when,  by  whom,  and  under  what  cir- 
cumstances to  me  seems  fit  and  best." 

At  a  Spiritual  Convention  at  Ravenna,  Ohio,  July  4th  and 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  31 

5th,  1857,  a  Mrs.  Lewis,  one  of  the  leading  lights,  said :  "To 
confine  her  to  love  one  man  was  an  abridgment  of  her  rights. 
*  *  *  Although  she  had  one  husband  in  Cleveland,  she 
considers  herself  married  to  the  whole  human  race.  All  men 
were  her  husbands,  and  she  had  an  undying  love  for  them. 
What  business  is  it  of  the  world  whether  one  man  is  the  father 
of  my  children,  or  ten  men  ?  I  have  a  right  to  say  who  shall 
be  the  father  of  my  offspring." 

This  brief  chapter  speaks  for  itself,  and  needs  no  comment 
from  us.  We  therefore  leave  the  readers  to  ponder  it  for  them- 
selves, except  to  add  that  the  evidences  of  the  outcroppings  of 
the  teachings  of  this  and  preceding  chapters  will  be  seen  in 
the  following  testimonials,  given  even  by  Spiritualists  them- 
selves, who  have  taken  a  regular  course,  having  gone  through 
the  whole  science,  and  graduated  in  their  schools  of  occult  arts. 
Let  us  now  hear  them. 


32  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Spiritualism  and  Spirit  Teachings,  as  Testified  to  and  Viewed  by  Spiritual- 
ists themselves. 

FIFTEEN  years  of  critical  study  of  Spiritual  literature,  and  an 
extensive  acquaintance  with  the  leading  Spiritualists,  and  patient, 
systematic  and  thorough  investigation  of  the  manifestations  of 
many  years ;  enable  us  to  speak  from  actual  knowledge,  defi- 
nitely and  positively,  of  Spiritualism  as  it  is.  Spiritual  literature 
is  full  of  the  most  insidious  and  seductive  doctrines,  calculated 
to  undermine  the  very  foundations  of  morality  and  virtue,  and 
lead  to  the  most  unbridled  licentiousness. 

"  It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  leading  teachers,  noted  mediums, 
and  popular  speakers,  have  deserted  companions,  obtained  di- 
vorces, and  gone  off  with  affinities.  *  *  *  The  outside  world 
has  no  idea  of  the  folly,  free  love  and  licentiousness  among 
Spiritualists,  especially  on  the  part  of  healing  and  developing 
mediums."  The  same  writer  tells  us:  "One  of  the  oldest,  if 
not  most  influential  papers,  has  several  noted  free  lovers  and 
libertines  as  special  and  honored  correspondents.  After  years 
of  careful  investigation,  we  are  compelled  to  admit  that  more 
than  one-half  of  our  traveling  medium  speakers  and  prominent 
Spiritualists  are  guilty  of  immoral  and  licentious  practices." — 
"  Spiritualism  as  It  Is."— Wm.  B.  Porter. 

A-ain,  from  J.  A.  Whitney,  editor  of  the  "  New  York  Path- 
finder "  :  "  The  extensive  opportunity  I  have  had,  and  that,  too, 
among  first-class  Spiritualists,  of  learning  its  nature  and  results, 
I  think  will  enable  me  to  lay  just  claims  to  be  a  competent  wit- 
ness in  this  matter.  I  have  heard  of  much  of  the  improve- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  33 

ments  in  individuals  in  consequence  of  a  belief  in  Spiritualism. 
With  such  I  have  no  acquaintance.  But  I  have  known  many 
whose  integrity  of  character  and  uprightness  of  purpose  ren- 
dered them  worthy  examples  to  all  around,  who,  on  becoming 
mediums,  and  giving  up  their  individuality,  also  gave  up  every 
sense  of  honor  and  decency.  There  are  thousands  of  high- 
minded  and  intelligent  Spiritualists,  who  all  agree  with  me  that 
there  is  no  slander  in  saying  that  the  inculcation  of  no  doctrines 
in  the  country  has  shown  such  disastrous  moral  and  social  re- 
sults as  the  spiritual  theories.  *  *  *  Iniquities  which  have 
justly  received  the  condemnation  of  centuries  are  openly  up- 
held ;  vices  which  would  destroy  any  wholesome  regulation  of 
society  are  crowned  as  virtues ;  prostitution  is  believed  to  be 
fidelity  to  self;  marriage,  an  outrage  on  freedom;  bastards 
claimed  to  be  spiritually  begotten  !  *  *  *  The  abrogation 
of  marriage,  bigamy,  theft,  rapes,  are  chargeable  to  Spiritualism. 
I  most  solemnly  affirm  that  I  do  not  believe  that  there  has 
arisen  a  class  of  people  who  are  guilty  of  so  great  a  variety  of 
crimes  and  indecencies  as  the  Spiritualists  of  America. 

"  Spiritualism  and  prostitution,  with  a  rejection  of  Christian- 
ity, are  twin  sisters.  I  have  been  able,  with  but  little  inquiry,  to 
count  up  seventy  mediums,  most  of  whom  have  abandoned 
their  conjugal  relations  ;  others  living  with  paramours,  called 
'  affinities  J ;  others  in  promiscuous  adultery  ;  and  still  others, 
exchanged  partners." — D.  B.  F.  Hatch. 

Says  another  writer,  Dr.  P.  B.  F.  Randolph:  "I  believe  Spirit- 
ualism to  be  the  most  tremendous  enemy  of  God,  morals,  and 
religion,  that  ever  found  foothold  on  the  earth,  the  most  se- 
ductive, hence  the  most  dangerous  form  of  sensualism  that  ever 
cursed  a  nation,  age  or  people.  *  *  *  Five  of  my  friends 


34  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

destroyed  themselves,  and  I  attempted  it,  by  direct  influence.  Ev- 
ery crime  in  the  calendar  has  been  committed  by  mortals  moved 
by  viewless  beings.  Adultery,  fornication,  abortion,  insanity, 
are  not  evils,  I  suppose.  I  charge  all  these  to  this  '  scientific ' 
Spiritualism." 

From  T.  L.  Harris. — 4l  The  marriage  vow  imposes  no  obli- 
gations, in  the  view  of  Spiritualists.  Husbands  have  abandon- 
ed their  wives,  and  formed  criminal  connection  with  other  fe- 
males, because  "  the  Spirits  told  them  that  there  was  great  Spir- 
itual affinity  between  them.  *  *  *  And  wives  too,  the 
most  elevated  and  loving,  and  true  to  their  husbands,  have  left 
their  husbands  and  children,  and  lived  in  open  immorality,  be- 
cause the  Spirits  told  them  to  do  so." 

From  Mr.  Joel  Tiffany. — Says  he,  "After  all  our  investigation 
for  seven  or  eight  years,  we  must  say  that  we  have  as  much  ev- 
idence that  they  are  lying  Spirits  as  that  there  any  spirits  at  all 
The  doctrines  they  teach  are  mostly  contradictory  and  absurd. 
There  are  those  who  have  become,  and  are  becoming  victims 
to  a  sexual  philosophy,  under  the  influence  of  what  is  termed 
Spiritualism.  *  *  *  Spiritualism,  in  a  very  large  class  of 
minds,  tends  to  beget  a  kind  of  moral  and  religious  atheism." 

From  T.  L.  Nichols. — **  Spiritualism  meets,  neutralizes,  and 
destroys  Christianity."  A  Spiritualist  is  no  longer  a  Christian  in 
any  popular  sense  of  the  term.  In  this  chapter  it  will  be  seen, 
we  have  quoted  from  a  number  of  leading  writers,  as  we  find 
them  in  different  popular  leading  organs,  half  a  dozen  of  whom 
have  testified  in  "  Spiritualism  Unveiled,"  of  the  abominations 
taught,  believed  and  practiced. 

And  placing  this  and  the  preceding  chapter  side  by  side,  and 
so  reading  the  two  in  harmony  the  one  with  the  other,  we  ask 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  35 

you,  reader,  if  you  think  it  possible  that  the  very  lowest  depths 
of  the  bottomless  pit,  were  it  sounded,  raked  over,  and  stirred, 
could  possibly  boil  up,  disgorge,  and  belch  forth  greater,  or 
more  vile  corruption  than  is  embodied  and  enjoined  in  the  doc- 
trines here  set  forth ;  and  such  are  thus  taught  and  practiced. 

And  is  it  not  as  plain  to  be  seen  by  every  Christian  mind  who 
reads  these  things,  as  is  a  bright  lamp  in  the  midst  of  a  dark 
room,  that  all  of  these  teachings  and  practices  can  only  ema- 
nate from  the  Fiend  of  Darkness,  and  be  dictated  by  Satan  alone? 
The  English  language  itself  can  give  but  feeble  utterance  to 
sufficiently  strong  denunciations  of  the  loathsome  vileness  and 
fiendish  promulgations  of  such  doctrines  and  practices  as  we 
have  alluded  to ;  and'  to  do  anything  like  justice  to  the  same, 
would  require  us  to  borrow  from  their  own  vocabulary,  such 
as  might  no  doubt  readily  be  furnished  through  Spiritualists,  as 
coming  directly  from  Satan,  their  great  master-piece,  and  Fath- 
er of  Lies ! 

We  will  therefore  dismiss  this  part  of  our  subject  before  us, 
for  the  present,  and  in  our  next  chapter  consider  whither  such 
teachings  and  practices  are  tending,  and  what  are  the  fruits  yet 
further  to  be  seen  as  we  pass  along. 


36  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

The  Politics  of  Spiritualists,  which  Combines  Church  and  State,  all  to  be 
Controlled  entirely  on  Spiritualistic  Principles,  such  as  Taught  in  the 
preceding  Chapters,  and  which  is  to  Crush  out  and  Break  in  Pieces 
all  Present  forms  of  Government. 

IN  a  political  or  campaign  document  published  in  Chicago 
and  accepted  as  a  leading  organ  and  exponent  of  Spiritualism, 
and  professedly  under  the  immediate  control  and  direction  of 
the  higher  order  of  spirits,  such  as  Jefferson,  Webster,  Adams, 
Socrates,  Martin  Luther,  Wesley,  Ben  Franklin,  and  others,  the 
following  view  of  an  order  of  things  anticipated  by  Spiritualists 
is  presented : 

First,  this  remarkable  document  sets  forth  the  plan  of  a  new 
and  divine  government,  with  Church  and  State  combined — a 
democratic,  Theocratic  government — woman  representing  the 
Church,  man  representing  the  State.  But  the  Church  is  to  con- 
trol the  State.  This  government  is  to  be  strictly  democratic, 
£  e.t  the  power  to  be  in  the  hands  of  the  people.  It,  however, 
is  somehow  also  "  to  be  theocratic  [so  that]  the  power  must  be 
in  the  hands  of  the  ancient  [Spirit]  world." 

The  above,  it  will  at  once  be  seen,  is  very  "immaterial,"  and 
at  the  same  time  so  exceedingly  **  Spiritualistic  "  that  it  will  re- 
quire some  little  thought  to  either  fathom  or  untangle  it.  The 
idea,  however,  seems  to  be  about  this,  as  we  understand  it : 
That  women  are  to  represent  the  Church,  or  theocratic  part  of 
the  new  government ;  and  as  the  Church  or  theocratic  power 
is  to  control  the  State  department,  and  as  this  same  theocracy 
must  be  in  the  hands  of,  and  under  the  control  of  the  ancient 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE  37 

Spirit  or  Angel  world,  therefore  these  great  ancient  Spirits, 
through  the  mediums  of  women,  are  to  be  the  controlling 
power.  Man,  therefore,  is  to  occupy  a  subordinate  position  in 
this — "  the  new  and  divine  government  "  which  is  to  be — and 
not  to  rule  any  more,  but  to  be  ruled. 

Now  it  will  no  doubt  be  apparent  to  many — all  Spiritualists, 
at  least — that  such  a  government  as  this,  founded  on  the  above 
principles,  ought  to  be  indeed,  when  once  established — nay, 
will  be,  a  grand  and  good  thing.  After  which  man — "  frail  in- 
sect of  an  hour  " — will  no  longer  be  known  to  glory  or  upheld 
by  power ;  nor  need  he  longer  sigh  and  sing 

"  Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  breast ; 
Man  never  is,  but  ever  to  be,  blest," 

for  an  end  will  at  once  be  put  to  all  this. 

And  then  Aunt  Susan  Anthony,  Sister  Stone,  Madame  H. 
Beecher  Stowe,  with  her  little  Topsy  and  Tommy's  cabin,  Bel- 
va  Lockwood,  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Mary  Walker,  who  never  "  had  a 
little  lamb,"  and  other  strong  spiritualistic  female  minds,  can 
have  things  all  their  own  way — at  least  for  once,  or  while  the 
divine  administration  lasts — "  none  daring  to  molest  or  make 
\hern  afraid." 

No ;  not  even  such  minds  as  Jefferson,  Clay,  Webster,  or 
John  C.  Calhoun,  who,  as  the  campaign  song  in  his  day  sung, 
"  both  hates  a  fox  and  fears  a  coon,"  nor  even  Luther,  Ben 
Franklin  et  al.  of  all  these  departed  spirits.  For,  reversing  the 
accepted  dogma  of  Spiritualism — that  Spirits  always  control  the 
mediums,  and  not  mediums  the  Spirits,  as  we  will  notice  further 
on — the  reader  will  see  at  once  that  these  strong-minded  Spirit 
mediums  will  have  no  earthly  use  whatever  for  counsel  in  the 


38  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

affairs  of  Church  and  State  from  these  once  great  lights  on 
earth  in  each  department,  unless  it  may  be  to  "  call  them  up  " 
occasionally  from  the  Elysian  fields  of  Paradise  to  hold  seances 
and  banquet  and  revel  with  them,  as  a  sort  of  matter  of  pas- 
time, and  on  State  occasions.  Does  not  every  one  see  just 
how  't  will  be  ? 

Therefore  we  see,  man  will  no  longer  be  the  head,  but,  wo- 
man, disregarding  her  natural  position,  in  a  marital  relation  as 
a  helpmate  for  man,  and  therefore  no  longer  a  trusting,  confid- 
ing companion,  who  can  be  relied  on  as  such  ;  but  she  hence- 
forth holds  the  reins  of  government,  and,  as  the  representative 
angel  in  the  "  summer  land  "  will  become  the  object  of  servile 
adoration  and  worship.  And  then,  "great  indeed,  will  be  the 
Goddess  Diana."  of  America. 

And  as  those  women  now  teach  that  they  have  the  right  to  say, 
"  whether  one  man  shall  be  the  father,  or  a  dozen  men  the 
fathers  of  their  children,  we  may  then  surely,  confidently  look 
for  the  fulfillment  of  that  prophecy  by  St.  Paul,  when  he  tells 
us  the  time  will  come  when  the  spirits  will  creep  into  houses, 
and  lead  captive  silly  women,  laden  with  sins,  led  away  with 
divers  lusts,"  and  the  question  has  been  pertinently  asked,  "Why 
may  not  these  Spirits,  through  their  Spiritualist  mediums,  then 
demand  the  adoration  and  worship  of  a  nude  woman,  such  as 
the  Goddess  of  Reason  in  the  French  Revolution  ?  " 

Further  news  from  T/ie  Spirit  World,  in  an  article  by  E.  Car- 
penter, says :  "  I  feel  that  the  hour  has  come  to  boldly  defend 
the  Church  and  State  party  of  men  and  women,  having  com- 
bined interests  for  the  redemption  of  the  human  race.  Mascu- 
line Christianity  is  granted  by  all  to  be  a  failure  ;  but  a  mascu- 
line and  feminine  movement  combined,  cannot  fail  to  bring 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  39 

about  the  most  beneficial  results.  In  no  other  way  can  the 
falsities  now  obtaining,  be  crushed  out,  and  good  seed  planted. 
I  think  it  were  time  we  were  a  seen  and  felt  power." 

Another  says :  "  We  shall  be  the  controlling  power.  By  us, 
the  old  Church  and  Government  will  be  entirely  reconstructed. " 
In  defining  the  purposes  of  Spiritualism,  a  Spirit  says:  "The 
first  great  object  is  to  convince  sceptics  of  the  immortality  of 
the  soul,  disrobe  death  of  its  terrors,  give  to  men  a  rational  re- 
ligion, and  unite  all  men  in  one  grand,  sublime  faith,  in  which 
angels,  or  spirits  of  the  dead,  hold  intercourse  with  living  men: 
.thus  raising  the  condition  of  the  material  world  up  to  that  of, 
and  in  harmony  with  the  Spiritual  World." 

"The  design  is,  through  this  increase  of  knowledge  and 
spiritual  elevation,  to  crush,  destroy,  and  break  in  pieces,  all 
the  existing  forms  of  government  on  the  face  of  the  whole  earth, 
and  in  place  of  them,  build  up  a  common  form  of  government, 
which  will  be  a  Theocratic  democracy,  every  man  will  be  his 
own  ruler,  and  his  natural  demands  his  highest  law." 

From  the  Spiritual  Telegraph,  we  have  the  following,  as  a 
portion  of  an  article  headed  "  Practical  Spiritual  Purposes  and 
Plans."  "The  great  purpose  of  the  Spirit  world  then,  is  of  a 
much  broader  nature,  and  more  thoroughly  practical  spirit.  It 
aims,  tin  short,  at  establishing  a  new  social  order  on  earth, 
through  whose  mediatorial  harmony  alone,  the  Divine  truth, 
and  its  good,  can  descend  wholly  upon,  and  into  a  waiting  and 
responsive  race." 

"  It  is.  also  the  purpose  of  Spiritualism  to  educate  a  class  of 
persons  in  certain  practical  functions,  that  they  shall  become 
pivots  of  groups  in  the  coming  new  social  order.  *-..-*'* 
About  two  hundred  and  fifty  persons  have  already  been  select- 


40  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE. 

ed.  These  persons  are  scattered  all  over  the  United  States  and 
the  Provinces.  * 

"  Another  purpose  of  the  movement  is  the  establishment  of 
a  new  system  of  government.  It  is  the  combination  of  two 
elements,  Monarchy  and  Republicanism,  making,  therefore, 
(partly  because  of  the  combination,  and  partly  for  other  rea- 
sons), a  new  idea  in  government.  It  has  already  matured  its 
plans  to  quite  an  extent. 

"  All  these  grow  out  of  a  new  Church — a  Church  of  princi- 
ples, not  dogmas.  This  Church  is  to  be  both  interior  and  ex- 
terior, or  individual  and  organic.  It  has  reconciled  both  the 
Catholic  and  the  Protestant  phases  of  religious  idea,  not  over- 
looking the  great  religions  which  dogmatic  Christianity  does  not 
recognize,  viz  :  Hindooism,  Mohammedanism,  and  Judaism. 

"  It  is  the  grand,  uniting  Church  of  the  Spiritual  age,  and 
blends  into  harmony  the  antagonizing  elements  of  the  analytic 
ages.  It  is  the  mother  of  all  institutions  for  external  uses ; 
therefore  the  mother  of  the  States,  and  in  the  combination  takes 
place  the  union  of  Church  and  State." 

A  grand  and  great  Church  we  see  this  is  to  be,  as  it  covers 
the  whole  ground  in  its  completeness.  Some  yet  living,  will 
probably  remember  that  during  the  late  war  a  tract,  published 
in  1 86 1,  called  "The  Soldier's  Tract,"  was  extensively  circu- 
lated. 

It  purported  to  be  a  "  Spiritual  prophesy,  foreshadowing  the 
termination  and  final  result,  as  purposed  by  the  Divine  Spirit, 
to  be  effected  by  this  strange  American  war."  Delivered  in 
trance  by  Mr.  L.  I.  Pardee,  at  Alston  Hall,  Boston,  on  Sunday 
afternoon,  May  2oth,  1861. 

"  We  hold  that  this  administration  has  a  mission  to  perform, 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  4! 

though  it  is  perhaps  the  last  administration  elected  under  the 
present  Constitution.  *  *  *  Any  man  who  believes  that 
the  grand  (Spiritual)  philosophy  comes  to  do  a  little  work,  then 
die  away,  to  stir  up  the  Church  a  little,  and  not  to  walk  into  the 
government/  to  cleanse  the  Augean  stables  there  with  its  fire- 
blood  of  divine  light,  does  not  apprehend  that  this  is  truly  the 
day  of  judgment.  You  must  be  prepared  for  such  times  as  you 
have  never  yet  dreamed  of.  The  higher  life  (spirits)  will  control 
the  secret  springs  which  guide  the  nation. 

"  This  is  not  merely  a  political  revolution  ;  it  is  a  Spiritual 
revolution,  reaching  the  heart  of  hearts  in  things — in  the  State, 
Church,  and  Society.  First,  indeed,  the  power  of  Spiritualism 
was  felt  in  the  Church  ;  somewhat  then  in  the  sphere  of  poli- 
tics ;  now  it  has  got  to  go  hack  again  into  the  Church,  and  stir 
up  a  deeper  religious  sense  of  the  wants  and  defects  of  the  peo- 
ple. *  *  * 

"  The  next  government  which  shall  arise  over  this  people, 
and  which  is  even  now  drawing  nigh  from  out  of  the  angel  world, 
will  be  a  theocratic  democracy — God  ruling  through  medium- 
istic  man.  *  And  then,  as  Spiritualism  and  Celestial- 

ism  march  over  the  land,  the  master  souls,  once  denizens  of 
time,  will  influence  men's  acts  ;  the  Spiritu-congress  above  will 
guide  in  all  wisdom  and  truth  the  councils  assembled  below." 


42  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   LAKE. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Qnestions  for  the  leaders  in  the  New  Government ;  to  be  answered  freely, 
without  Mental  Reservation,  and  Subscribed  to  Promptly,  as  a  test  of 
Qualification. 

QUESTIONS  for  the  leaders  in  the  New  Government  to  answer 
and  subscribe  to,  as  a  test  of  their  fitness  to  hold  office. 

In  the  Educator \  (pps.  412,  413),  the  following  prescribed 
rules  for  the  leaders,  or  pivot  men,  under  the  New,  or  Celestial 
Government,  first  propounded,  and  then  to  be  subscribed  to 
unhesitatingly  and  without  mental  reservation,  as  follows : 

I. 

i  st.  Do  you  understand  that  it  requires  two  persons,  male 
and  female,  to  constitute  a  whole  man  ? 

2d.  Do  you  understand  that  each  man,  and  each  woman,  if 
you  please,  has  a  perfect  right  under  all  circumstances  and 
conditions,  and  in  whatever  locality,  to  do  as  he  or  she  pleases  ? 

3d.  Do  you  know  that  Government  is  but  a  temporary  ar- 
rangement, to  be  outgrown  with  the  greatest  rapidity  possible  ? 

To  be  answered  without  the  least  equivocation,  without  the 
slightest  qualification. 

II. 

"  Is  the  person  ready  now  to  aid  in  constructing  a  Govern- 
ment on  these  fundamental  principles?  Are  you  willing  to 
risk  your  reputation,  your  property,  your  life,  if  need  be,  in  the 
new  enterprise  ?  If  he  cannot  answer  without  hesitation,  he  is 
not  the  man  for  the  times." 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.         ,  43 

III. 

"  Do  you  love  these  fundamental  principles  more  than  any- 
thing else  ?  Are  you  willing  to  announce  your  allegiance  to 
these  fundamental  principles,  even  though  it  may  separate  you 
from  Church,  from  State,  from  home,  from  lands,  from  chil- 
dren, from  the  companion  of  your  bosom  ?  " 

If  the  person  questioned  hesitates,  then  he  is  unfit  for  this 
struggle,  he  ought  not  to  be  engaged,  for  when  the  storm  comes, 
this  man  will  be  missing.  None,  we  see,  except  stalwarts  and 
men  with  powerful  nerve  and  backbone,  ready  to  perform 
deeds  of  daring,  such  as  Edward  Booth,  Guiteau,  and  others, 
could  be  at  all  suited  to  take  the  reins  of  this  great  Celestial, 
Social  Commune,  Spiritual  Government.  Hence,  the  necessity 
of  the  preceding  iron-clad  oaths  of  allegiance,  to  which  they  are 
bound  with  a  hearty  good  will. 


44  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BAKE. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  dreadful  doom  awaiting  those  who  shall  oppose  the  New,  or  Celestial 
government,  or  revile  and  scoff  at  Modern  Spiritualism.  They  must 
speedily  be  brought  to  the  altar  of  human  sacrifice,  after  untold,  fear- 
ful calamities  have  come  upon  them.  An  awful  retribution  awaits 
those  who  oppose  "Spiritual  Communion." 

IN  a  most  wonderful  speech,  by  Dr.  A.  B.  Child,  reported  in 
the  Banner  of  Light)  Aug.  5th,  1865,  we  have  the  following 
(I  have  said  "a  most  wonderful,"  for  so  it  is,  or  extraordinary, 
at  least)  :  "The  time  is  speedily  coming  when  every  one  who 
has  opposed,  scorned,  reviled  and  persecuted  Spiritual  Com- 
munion will  be  brought  to  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  will  suffer  sor- 
row, regret,  affliction.  It  will  be  a  bitter  cup,  but  a  necessary 
remedy,  for  the  sickly  morals  and  religion  of  men.  It  is  in  the 
power  of  the  Spiritual  World  to  make  any  poor  man  rich  in  one 
day,  to  make  a  well  man  sick  in  a  moment  of  time,  or  to  make 
a  sick  man  well ;  to  take  life,  or  continue  it ;  to  make  woe  in  the 
human  heart,  or  joy  and  gladness  there.  Imminent  and  im- 
mediate dangers  to  earthly  property  hang  over  all  opposition  to 
Spiritual  Communion. 

"  Mark  well,  and  you  will  soon  see  that  the  destruction  of 
property,  of  health,  even  physical  life,  will  follow  close  upon  the 
heels,  and  overtake  all  the  obstinate,  persistent  warriors  against 
sin  and  the  devil,  all  the  military  of  the  church  militant,  all  that 
revile  and  scoff  and  say  all  manner  of  things,  falsely,  against 
Spiritualism,  against  sins,  sects,  creeds,  beliefs  not  their  own. 
Disasters  on  sea,  and  on  land,  fires,  failures,  accident?,  diseas- 
es, and  early  deaths,  will  fall  thick  and  fast,  and  heavy,  to  har- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  45 

row  the  peace  and  happiness  of  every  bosom  that  is  persistently 
turned  with  opposition  and  bitterness  against  this  holy  influx, 
that  comes  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  to  tell  us  the  uses  of 
Sin  and  Sorrow  ;  to  tell  us  of  the  realities  of  the  world  from 
whence  man  gets  his  blessings ;  to  tell  him  of  the  world  from 
whence  he  came,  and  whither  he  is  going.  *  *  *  Aye, 
more  than  blessed  are  ye,  for  a  new  era  is  beginning ;  a  new  re- 
ligion is  coming  (now  known  as  the  "  New  Christian  Science) ; 
a  new  day  of  morals  is  dawning  (and  it  is  now  dawning) ;  a  new 
road  for  human  progress  is  making ;  it  is  the  road  that  the 
toiling  hands  of  Spiritualism  have  graded  over  lands  and  through 
highlands,  over  swamps  of  humility  and  the  mountains  of  pride. 
It  is  a  straight  road ;  it  is  a  level  road ;  it  is  a  grand  highway 
for  all  humanity  ;  it  is  onward  forever. 

"Then  take  courage,  and  be  comforted ;  be  not  weary,  for  the 
work  of  Spiritualism  is  the  work  of  well  doing.  Relax  no  effort, 
seek  to  change  no  purpose  in  this  great  design,  for,  it  must 
make  a  revolution,  in  the  morals  and  religions  of  men,  that 
shall  be  a  signal  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  world's  future,  for 
the  world's  happiness." 

If  any  one  who  may  read  the  above,  or  hear  it  read,  suppos 
es  that  these  sentiments  are  simply  ebullitions,  or  out-gushings 
of  diseased  or  disordered  minds  of  men,  known  as  cranks,  let 
us  assure  you,  that  the  "false  prophets  of  Baal  and  of  Jezebel," 
on  the  occasion  of  Elijah's  sacrifice  on  Mount  Carmel,  were 
never  more  in  earnest,  or  desperate  in  cutting  themselves  with 
knives,  and  leaping  up  and  down  upon  their  altar,  and  calling 
unto  their  god,  than  are  these  leading  lights  in  Spiritualism  to- 
day. Nor,  did  ever  a  false  prophet  in  the  days  of  which  we 
have  spoken,  give  utterance  to  things  which  were  truer,  than 


46  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

many  of  the  prophecies  uttered  by  modern  Spiritualists,  even  in 
days  that  are  past. 

But  lest  the  above  sentence  may  seem  in  itself  contradictory 
to  some,  or  appear  paradoxical,  I  pause  to  remark,  that  it  should 
be  remembered  there  were  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  not  only  the 
two  classes  of  prophets ;  one  of  the  true  and  living  God,  and 
the  other  of  Ashtaroth,  Baal  &  Co. ;  but  that  although  the  lat- 
ter were  known  as  lying  prophets,  and  so  called,  they  even 
prophecied  the  truth  sometimes. 

And  as  the  Apostle  Paul  expressly  tells  us  (in  Timothy  i  and 
2)  when  he  prophecied  concerning  the  very  times  in  which  we 
are  now  living ;  and  as  Christ  also  warns  his  disciples  to  take 
heed  to  those  days,  (in  which  we  are  now  living) ;  telling  them 
that  false  Christs,  and  false  prophets  should  arise,  which  shall 
deceive  many,  even  showing  great  signs  and  wonders,  in  so 
much,  that  if  it  were  possible,  they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect. 
In  a  work  we  are  now  preparing,  on  the  fulfillment  of  the 
last  prophecies  in  these  days,  we  will  notice  this  subject  at 
greater  length,  in  connection  with  modern  Spiritualism.  So  al- 
so, do  the  lying  or  false  prophets  of  modern  Spiritualism,  in- 
spired and  prompted  by  the  lies  of  their  father,  the  Devil,  which 
he  puts  into  their  mouths,  as  Spirit  Mediums,  likewise  prophe- 
sy truth  occasionally,  as  we  have  already  abundantly  shown  in 
this  and  preceding  chapters,  when  comparing  many  of  their 
damnable  utterances,  with  things  which  are  now  actually  being 
fulfilled,  the  facts  of  which  are  irrefragable. 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  47 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Common  Evidence  of  Spirits  unreliable  as  to  Identity,  either  in  Char- 
acter, Age,  Sex,  Origin,  or  Future  Condition,  or  whether  Human  or 
Animal ;  all  depending,  no  doubt,  upon  the  Astuteness  and  ^Esthet- 
icism  of  the  Developing  Medium  in  the  occult  and  mysterious  Science 
and  Art. 

THE  testimony  of  Spirits  and  of  Spiritualists  as  to  the  identity 
of  Spirits,  would  seem  often  vague  and  very  unsatisfactory,  ac- 
cording to  the  evidence  here  given  by  A.  E.  Newton,  former 
editor  of  the  "  Spiritual  Age,"  and  others. 

"  First,  they  allege  it  to  be  possible,  and  not  only  possible, 
but  common,  and  often  does  occur,  that  '  Spirits  of  a  certain 
class  assume  the  appearance  and  characteristics  of  other  Spirits, 
or  of  other  persons  still  in  the  body,  so  completely  that  the  dis- 
guise cannot  be  detected,  even  by  ordinary  Spirit-seers.'  And 
this  being  true,  hence  the  common  evidences  of  the  identity  of 
the  Spirits  are  but  little  to  be  relied  upon." 

"Second,  when  two  persons  are  closely  in  sympathetic  or 
magnetic  rapport  (rappor)  with  each  other,  the  images  that  are 
in  one  mind  may  be  perceived  as  objective  realities  by  the  oth 
er.» 

This  seems  to  be  the  case  with  the  magnetizer  and  his  sub- 
ject in  the  common  phenomenon  of  mesmerism  (or  animal 
magnetism,  as  it  is  frequently  called).  The  operator  forms  an 
image,  as  a  person,  a  serpent,  a  fire,  or  any  other  object,  in  his 
own  mind,  when  the  subject,  if  well  under  control,  sees  the 
same  thing  as  an  objective  reality. 

"  So  positive  minds,  in  a  circle,  or  positive  Spirits  who  are 


48  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

around,  may  present  the  image  of  any  person  with  whom  they 
are  familiar,  and  it  may  appear  as  a  reality  to  an  impressible 
medium." 

Andrew  J.  Davis  taught,  and  still  teaches,  through  mediums 
claiming  to  be  inspired,  by,  and  in  constant  communication 
with,  his  departed  spirit,  that  "  It  is  known  that  a  wise  and 
strong-minded  person  in  the  Spirit-world  has  the  power  to  make 
visible  to  the  eyes  of  mortals  the  exact  appearance  or  semblance 
of  the  body  which  it  wore  before  death.  This  representation 
is  elaborated  sometimes  to  the  minutest  particular,  even  to  the 
reproduction  of  the  appearance  of  the  habiliments,  etc.,  by 
which  the  person  was  characterized  and  identified  while  a  resi- 
dent on  earth." 

The  above  I  know  personally  to  be  confidently  believed  and 
accepted  as  true  by  many  Spiritualists,  one  of  whom  I  am  well 
acquainted  with,  who  was  once  an  educated  gentleman  of  no 
ordinary  attainments,  and  high  position  as  a  Methodist  minis- 
ter, who,  on  the  decease  of  his  first  wife,  at  the  midnight  hour 
of  one  o'clock,  distinctly  heard  (or  believed  he  did)  an  old-fash- 
ioned "wall  sweepei  wooden  clock,"  as  it  stood  upright  in 
the  corner  of  the  room,  and  which  had  not  made  a  stroke  of 
the  pendulum  or  sounded  the  stroke  of  time  for  many  years, 
just  at  that  moment  strike  one.  This  incident  he  believed  to  be 
strong  evidence  of  Spirit  manifestations,  and  so  pungent  and 
deep  the  influences  of  it  upon  his  mind,  that  he  not  only  be- 
came a  confirmed  believer  in  Modern  Spiritualism  afterwards, 
but  he  stepped  down  and  out  of  the  pulpit,  began  writing  books 
on  Spiritualism,  holding  seances  and  circles,  and  has  so  con- 
tinued for  quite  twenty  years  strong  in  the  faith.  And  on  an 
occasion  of  one  of  his  seances,  over  which  he  was  presiding, 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  49 

his  deceased  wife's  spirit  appeared — as  she  often  did — to  hold 
communication  with  him,  being  dressed  in  a  certain  figured 
silk  which  she  often  wore  when  on  earth  in  mortal  flesh,  and 
which  was  a  favorite  dress  of  hers  and  his,  and  by  permission 
he  took  a  pair  of  scissors  and  cut  away  a  large  piece  of  the 
skirt,  which  he  still  retains  as  a  memento  and  an  evidence  of 
actual  materialization. 

I  scarcely  need  add  that  the  whole  trick  was  planned,  and 
played  by  one  of  these  most  wonderful  materializing  female  me- 
diums, who  have  become  so  common. 

Again,  A.  J.  Davis  tells  us,  "  All  intelligent  Spirits  are  great 
artists.  They  can  psychologize  a  medium  to  see  them  and  des- 
cribe them  in  the  style  that  would  produce  the  deepest  impres- 
sion on  the  receiver.  *,'.*-*  They  can  easily  represent 
themselves,  as  being  old  or  young,  as  in  a  worldly  dress  or  flow- 
ing robes,  as  deemed  best  suited  to  accomplish  the  ends  of  the 
visitation."  Nay,  more  than  this ;  a  gentleman  once  told  me, 
who  was  an  educated  lawyer  of  New  York  City,  but  a  very  im- 
pressible Spiritualist,  and  who  spent  much  time  in  Washington, 
lobbying  and  otherwise,  that  at  times,  when  sitting  in  his  room 
viewing  the  portraits  of  deceased  friends,  as  they  hung  upon 
the  walls,  he  had  seen  the  features  change  and  the  eyes  move 
in  their  sockets,  just  the  same  and  as  distinctly  as  when  they 
were  living  in  the  flesh  ;  and  this  man  as  firmly  believed  those 
things  as  he  believed  in  his  own  existence.  Nor  is  it  at  all 
unusual  for  the  spirits  of  deceased  animals  to  usurp  and  take 
the  place "  of  departed  human  spirits,  assuming  their  form, 
voice,  etc.  And  why  should  they  not  ?  as  Spiritualists  believe 
in  the  immortality  of  animal  souls  as  well  as  that  of  the  human. 

A.  J.  Perry,   in  Light,   copied   into   Golden    Gate,  gives  us 


50  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

the  following,  under  the  question  :  Have  animals  souls  ?  After 
quoting  from  "  Bohme,  his  master  teacher,"  he  tells  us,  "every 
soul  forms  its  own  body."  *  *  *  "  Those  who  have  been 
much  thrown  upon  the  companionship  of  dogs,  will  never  doubt 
that  they  have  souls."  ***.'**!  have  loved  many  dogs,, 
and  never  one  who  had  not,  so  to  speak,  its  special  turn  of 
mind,  for  they  have  minds."  Dogs,  he  tells  us,  also  "  have 
imaginations,  etc."  He  also  quotes  from  Darwin,  as  having, 
said  they  "  do  not  lack  for  piety."  The  above  writer  also  tells- 
us  that,  "  in  his  belief,  animals  (in  general)  are  potentially  the 
younger  brothers  of  human  kind."  [And  so,  it  seems,  Darwin 
also  thought,  and  taught.]  He  tells  us  also,  in  the  same 
breath,  however,  that  "  he  is  not  for  a  moment,  wishing  to  put 
them  on  a  level,  as  if  it  was  in  each  case,  the  same  order  of 
beings,  only  on  a  lower  plane  of  development."  [Only  this  and 
nothing  more.]  "That  would  be  profanation,  for  man  was 
made  after  the  image  of  God."  *  *  *  "If  once  the  psy- 
chology of  the  dog  was  better  understood,  we  should  feel  that 
humble  dependent  man  has  a  noble  work  to  perform,  and  heavy 
responsibilities." 

Mr.  T.  L.  Harris,  in  "  Esoteric  Science,"  teaches  that  "  the 
souls  of  deceased  dogs,  similate  the  appearance  and  actions  of 
men  and  women,  to  whom  they  have  belonged  here,  thus  mis- 
leading the  unwary  at  many  a  seance."  Bohme  also  teaches, 
that  "all  who  have  sunk  to  dog  level  of  morality  in  this  world, 
appear  in  the  next  like  dogs,"  If  then,  as  the  foregoing  clearly 
tells  us,  human  spirits  can  thus  impersonate  other  spirits,  and 
even  the  spirits  of  deceased  animals,  can  counterfeit,  likewise, 
and  so  deceive,  and  mislead  the  unwary  and  impressible  Spirit 
Medium,  as  to  often  cause  them  to  mistake  their  identity,  and 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  51 

make  the  parties  holding  communications  with  them,  believe 
they  are  the  spirits  of  their  deceased  friends,  when  they  are 
not,  what  assurance  can  anyone  thus  communicating,  have  at 
any  time,  that  they  are  not  communing  with  false  and  lying 
spirits,  even  granting  that  there  is  a  reality  in  Spirit  Communi- 
cations ? 

And  we  might  carry  this  thought  even  yet  further,  and  ask 
why  not  another  order  of  intelligences  other  than  human  or  an- 
imal spirits,  who  have  never  occupied  this  terrestrial  sphere  at 
all,  at  any  time ;  also  insinuate  themselves  into  the  Spirit  circles 
or  seances,  or  so  exercise  their  power  or  influence  upon  the  me- 
dium ?  How  are  we  to  know  who  is  who  ? 

Now  if  the  order  of  Spirit  communication,  in  their  seances, 
could  only  be  reversed,  on  certain  occasions  at  least,  and  it  is 
a  little  strange  if  they  do  not,  or  attempt  it,  and  let  the  medium 
control  the  Spirits,  instead  of  the  Spirits  the  medium,  the  read- 
er will  at  once  see  they  might  be  the  better  enabled  to  make 
the  whole  thing  work  a  little  more  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
all  parties  interested,  especially  so  far  as  relates  to  the  medium, 
at  least,  as  well  as  the  parties  receiving  communications  from 
loved  ones  through  the  medium.  But  this,  unfortunately,  it 
seems  they  cannot  do,  nor  even  claim  to  do  ;  for  if  there  is  any 
one  thing  in  the  whole  realm  of  Spirit  intercourse,  or  commu- 
nication, or  in  every  phase  of  Spiritualism  combined,  in  which 
they  do  seem  to  be  agreed  unanimously,  as  I  understand  it,  and 
I  believe  it  to  be  the  only  thing,  it  is  this ;  and  so  they  teach, 
that  the  Spirits  control  the  mediums. 

But  if  the  fact  does  indeed  exist,  as  Spiritualists  teach,  viz :  the 
impersonation  of  the  true  human  Spirit  of  a  deceased  friend,  by 
a  pseudo,  or  false  Spirit,  and  that  too,  possibly  of  a  dead  dog,  or 


52  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

some  other1  animal;  why  may  not  Spiritualism  be  simply  a  vain 
delusion  after  all ;  so  far  as  relates  to  human  intercourse,  any- 
way ?  Let  the  reader  pause  here  for  a  moment,  and  ponder 
this  question  carefully  a  little,  for  it  is  an  important  one. 

"  If  you  are  nervous  on  the  subject  of  ghosts,  don't  read  this 
paragraph.  For  myself,  I  believe  in  ghosts.  I  cannot  doubt 
it,  because  the  evidence  I  have  is  absolutely  beyond  disputing. 
This  man  would  not  lie.  He  has  nothing  to  gain.  I  don't  pay 
him  anything  for  this,  and  a  man  is  not  going  to  lie  when  he 
can't  make  anything  out  of  it.  A  long,  long  time  ago,  so  long 
ago  that  I  have  really  thought  I  might  tell  it  over  again  with- 
out being  found  out,  I  told  a  beautiful,  weird,  thrilling  ghost 
story.  It  was  about  a  ghost  of  a  woman  appearing  to  a  man  in 
the  room  in  which  she  died  several  years  before.  Well,  it's  the 
same  man  and  the  same  ghost.  The  man  is  in  Mexico  ;  the 
ghost  is  in  town,  apparently.  But  this  is  even  more  thrilling 
than  the  other. 

"It  was  a  warm  night  in  Mexico.  The  air  was  still  and  laden 
with  odors  of  the  most  delightful  kind.  Peace  reigned  < 
where,  and  the  moon  was  snooting  its  bright  silver  through  the 
rich  foliage  of  the  umbrageous  trees.  A  sense  of  languor  lay 
over  everything,  and  the  silence  predisposed  a  man  to  dream- 
ing of  the  impossible  beatification  of  life.  His  bed  was  laid 
"out  under  the  shade  of  the  veranda,  and  he  lay  watching  the 
smoke  from  his  cigar  curling  up  and  floating  slowly  through 
the  trellised  vines.  By  and  by  the  smoke  ceased  to  curl,  the 
cigar  got  cold,  and  stuck  silent  between  his  lips.  His  muscles 
relaxed,  his  eyes  closed,  he  slept.  Suddenly  he  seemed  to  find 
himself  walking  down  Jones  street  in  San  Francisco.  I  am 
sorry  to  bring  in  anything  so  prosaic  as  Jones  street,  but  you 
have  to  be  exact  in  a  ghost  story.  It  was  Jones  street.  It  was 
the  2ist  of  March.  It  was  8  o'clock  in  the  evening.  He  had 
often  been  there,  and  he  was  walking  along  briskly  towards  the 
house  of  some  friends.  Suddenly  a  figure  appeared  before  him, 
a  female  figure.  It  was  the  same  woman  he  had  seen  two  years 
ago,  that  remarkable  day,  up  at  the  ranch.  She  approached 
him  and  waved  him  back.  He  stopped  amazed.  With  a  warn- 
ing gesture,  she  said : 

"  Do  not  go  there  !     Do  not  go  there  ! " 

"Why?  "he  asked. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  53 

"  Somebody  has  died  there.  Can  you  not  see  the  crape  on 
the  door  ?  They  are  in  deep  sorrow.  Come  away  ! " 

"Who  has  died?" 

"  But  before  he  could  look  at  the  door  or  receive  an  answer, 
he  awoke  with  a  start.  The  dream  was  so  vivid,  he  could  not 
get  it  out  of  his  mind.  It  was  positively  real.  So  he  sat  down 
and  wrote  to  his  sister  in  San  Francisco.  He  did  not  tell  her 
what  he  meant,  but  he  asked  her  simply,  '  Who  died  at  — 's 
on  the  2ist  of  March  ?'  He  was  quite  sure.  The  weeks  went 
by  and  he  waited  impatiently  for  an  answer.  It  came.  He 
opened  the  letter  tremblingly.  '  There  was  a  death  at  — 's  on 
the  2ist  of  March.  How  did  you  know  ?  It  was  the  cat.' 

"  There  is  no  limit,  now,  to  the  question  of  an  after  life.  This 
ghost  story  goes  to  prove  that  not  only  human  beings  move  on 
to  another  form  of  existence,  but  even  cats  and  dogs  may  be 
met  and  recognized  in  the  other  world.  Good  heavens  !  It's 
awful  to  contemplate.  It  has  its  pretty  side,  it  is  true.  It  may 
be  pleasant  to  meet  your  poor  departed  pet  spaniel  or  gentle 
tabby,  when  you  step  on  to  the  other  shore.  The  spirit  of  your 
favorite  horse  may  be  standing  on  the  other  bank  of  the  Styx, 
all  ready  to  ride  you  through  the  Elysian  fields.  The  number 
of  black-and-tans,  and  pugs  and  things,  will  be  quite  enormous, 
and  I  suppose  one  may  find  the  white  mice  and  the  red-eyed 
rabbit  of  his  youth  placidly  waiting  for  him  in  a  spiritual  shape. 
But  what  will  we  say  to  the  oysters  we've  eaten  on  the  half- 
shell,  the  terrapin  stewed  for  our  delectation,  the  innumerable 
shrimp,  and  the  boiled  lobster  of  this  life  ?  Shall  we  eat  them 
all  over  again  ?  When  the  hardy  sportsman  comes  across  the 
spirits  of  the  ducks  he  has  bought  in  the  markets  and  lied  about 
to  his  friends  ;  when  the  fisherman  meets  the  fish  he  has  jerked 
out  of  the  water,  what,  oh  what  will  he  do?  The  slaughter- 
man is  going  to  have  the  worst  time.  Will  all  the  cattle  he  has 
killed  for  the  market  charge  at  him,  when  he  arrives,  and  gore 
him  to  death  ?  The  subject  simply  opens  up  a  variety  and 
number  of  serious  and  appalling  possibilities,  that  even  Ham- 
let, in  his  most  metaphysical  vein,  could  hardly  grasp." 

That  th'ese  Spirits  which  do  appear,  as  they  are  said  to  do, 
or  fhat  hold  communication  with,  or  through  Spirit  mediums, 
so  called,  if  they  do,  indeed,  are  no  doubt  in  my  mind,  the 
Spirits,  not  of  those  who  once  lived  in  human  flesh  on  earth, 


54  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

but  are  demons,  and  fallen  Angels,  who  were  cast  down  from 
Heaven. 

And  that  the  admission  that  there  is  no  certainty  as  to  the 
identity  of  our  Spirit  friends,  if  indeed  there  be  such,  but  that 
they  can  be  impersonated  or  counterfeited  by  other  Spirits  of 
whatever  kind,  is  of  itself  fatal  to  the  whole  theory — sapping, 
and  undermining,  as  it  does,  the  very  sandy  foundation  of  the 
false  structure,  which  has  been  reared  upon  it,  the  great  funda- 
mental principle  of  which  is,  that  our  friends  really  do  come 
back  to  us,  and  talk  with  us,  etc. 

In  a  word,  to  sum  up  all  briefly,  I  deny,  in  the  most  emphat- 
ic terms,  that  there  has  been  such  a  thing  as  a  disembodied 
spirit,  which  once  dwelt  in  mortal  flesh  here,  ever  having  re- 
turned again  to  this  earth.  I  deny  it  on  the  grounds  that  there 
is  no  such  doctrine  taught  in  either  Old  or  New  Testament 
Scriptures,  and  that  it  is  in  direct  contravention  of  their  teach- 
ings. I  deny  it,  because  there  is  no  proof  since  the  days  of  these 
writings,  or  in  these  latter  days,  nor  even  a  shadow  of  proof. 

And  therefore  I  challenge  the  whole  combined  school  of 
Modern  Spiritualists,  to  produce  any  positive,  tangible  evidence 
of  the  fact  that  such  indeed  has  ever  occurred,  or  does  occur. 
This  they  have  not  done  as  yet,  except  in  the  disordered  imagi- 
nations of  their  own  deluded  brains  ;  who  believe  such  a  cun- 
ningly devised  lie,  concocted  and  brought  forth  by  the  "Father  of 
lies,"  who  originated  and  directs,  and  controls  every  trick  of  the 
whole  organized  scheme  from  the  beginning,  and  will  so  con- 
tinue to  do  to  the  end.  For  the  doctrines  that  Spiritualists 
teach,  as  we  have  clearly  shown  from  their  own  exact  utterances 
in  preceding  chapters,  can  only  emanate  from  the  lowest  and 
foulest  depths  of  the  pit  of  lies. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  55 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures  all  clearly  Declare  against  Spir- 
itualism, and  its  Teachings  can  Nowhere  be  Found  in  the  Bible. 
'The  Subject  carefully  Examined,  Weighed  in  the  Balance,  and  found 
Wanting.  "  To  the  Law  and  to  the  Testimony;  if  They  [the  Spirits] 
Speak  not  According  to  the  Word,  it  is  Because  there  is  no  Light 
[or  Truth]  in  them." — Isaiah  8  :  20.  Also,  I  John  4:1,  "  Beloved, 
Believe  not  Every  Spirit,  but  try  the  Spirits,  whether  they  are  of  God: 
for  Many  false  Prophets  are  Gone  out  into  the  World." 

IN  the  preceding  chapter  it  will  be  seen  that  we  have  denied 
the  whole  Spirit  phenomena  taught  by  Spiritualists,  declaring  it 
to  be  founded  on  false  premises,  and  without  even  the  ghost  or 
shade  of  truth  to  support  the  whole  sham  and  fraud,  or  "  fabric 
of  a  baseless  vision." 

This,  I  say,  wa  have  done  in  unmeasured  terms,  challenging 
the  whole  world  of  modern  Spiritualism  to  prove  their  grounds. 
But  knowing  that  this  they  cannot  do,  we  now  propose  in  this 
and  succeeding  chapters  to  prove  from  Scriptural  evidence  the 
utter  and  absolute  falsity  of  their  doctrines. 

Not  because  the  laboring  oar  rests  on  us  to  prove  a  negative, 
but  having  denied  what  they  claim  to  be  a  positive,  we  now  pur- 
pose the  actual  proving  of  our  denial,  well  knowing  that  how- 
ever the  Christian  reader  or  casual  reader  may  agree  with  us  in 
our  denunciation,  yet  the  mere  matter  of  the  denial  of  the 
above  question,  or  bare  assertion  of  its  falsity,  would  fail  to 
satisfy.  Nor  would  it,  indeed,  be  at  all  satisfactory,  either  to 
the  Infidel,  Sceptic,  or  Spiritualist  who  may  read  this  book. 

All  systems  of  faith  and  belief,  or  unbelief,  doctrines,  creeds, 


56  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

or  confessions,  should  always  be  met  by  rational  and  sensible 
argument,  and  with  fair  and  unbiassed  criticism.  Not  with  hu- 
man fear,  or  a  mortal  dread  of  the  dungeon,  the  faggot,  or  the 
Inquisition,  with  its  dreadful  and  diabolical  instruments  of  tor- 
ture to  the  miserable  victim,  applied  by  the  hands  of  relentless 
fiends  incarnate  :  nor  should  we  have  the  least  fear  of  ridi- 
cule, jibes,  jeers,  or  sneers. 

The  age — thanks  to  our  beneficent  and  ever-merciful  Creator 
—has  past  (as  many  hope  and  believe)  forever  for  these  things. 
Then  let  us,  as  free  men,  speak,  and  like  men,  not  for  the  purpose 
of  giving  offense  to  our  opponents  or  to  any  one,  whoever  they 
may  be,  or  however  widely  they  may  differ  from  us  in  our  views 
and  sentiments  touching  this  great  subject  which  lies  before  us, 
greater  than  which  there  is  none  other  at  the  present  day  and 
age  of  the  world,  or,  indeed,  is  ever  likely  to  arise  again  while 
the  world  stands,  as  we  shall  endeavor  to  clearly  show  in  tl. 
succeeding  pages  ;  and  this  we  purpose  doing  without  detr 
ing  anything  from  or  adding  thereto  in  any  way ;  but  only  to 
give/flr/s,  and  nothing  but  facts,  together  with  truths  as  they 
are  found  to  exist. 

At  the  head  of  this  chapter  we  have  stated  that  the  Old  and 
New  Testament  Scriptures  are  clearly  against  Spiritualism  ;  and 
have  also  quoted  two  texts,  from  very  many  others,  which  may 
be  and  are  yet,  to  be  added.  The  prophet  Isaiah,  in  the  pre- 
ceding verse  to  the  one  above  quoted,  tells  us  : 

"  And  when  they  shall  say  "  (/.  e.,  the  Spiritualists  and  Spirits 
shall  say),  "  Seek  unto  them  (the  Spirit  mediums)  that  have 
familiar  Spirits,  and  unto  wizards  that  peep,  and  that  mutter. 
Should  not  a  people  seek  unto  their  God,  for  the  living  to  the 
dead,  or,  for  the  living  to  hear  from  the  dead."  "To  the  Law, 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  57 

and  to  the  testimony,  and  if  they  (the  Spirits)  speak  not  accord- 
ing to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them."  And 
let  us  now  behold  how  great  is  that  darkness. 

In  taking  up  this  sacred  volume,  the  inspired  word  of  God, 
I  desire  to  say  a  few  words,  first  to  the  learned,  who  may  read, 
viz  :  "  In  eternum  scribo  " ;  and  to  the  unlearned,  will  say  that 
the  literal  translation  of  the  above  three  short  words  is,  "  I  write 
for  eternity." 

And  as  I  thus  write,  so  may  it  be  said  of  you,  dear  reader 
and  of  each  and  all  of  us,  "  In  eternum  vivo.  I  live  for  eternity." 
And  what  more  weighty  consideration  can  there  be  than  this, 
that  would  justify  or  enforce  the  utmost  vigilance  and  care  as 
to  our  every  act,  not  only  in  living,  but  in  writing  and  in  speak- 
ing? 

It  is  generally  conceded,  I  believe,  and  I  myself  have  so 
written  and  taught  at  one  time,  that  man  is  a  Complex  being, 
"Trimeres  upostasis,"  /.  e.,  a  tripartite  or  threefold  nature,  a 
compound  creature,  made  up  of  three  distinct  parts,  viz :  the 
body,  which  is  the  earthy,  or  mortal  part  of  him,  and  the  soul, 
which  is  the  animal  or  sensitive  part,  and  spirit,  or  mind,  which 
is  generally  conceded,  and  claimed,  to  be  the  rational  or  im- 
mortal part. 

This  doctrine,  I  believe,  is  established  beyond  dispute  gener- 
ally, not  only  by  what  is  believed  to  be  actual  experience,  but 
also  by  authority.  But  is  it  true  ?  The  Pythagoreans,  as  may 
be  learned  from  Jambicus,  believed  it,  also  the  Platonists,  ac- 
cording to  Nemesius,  Sallust,  and  Laertius.  Likewise  the 
Stoics,  as  appears  from  Antonius,  who  tells  us  :  "  There  are 
three  things  which  belong  to  man,  viz :  the  body,  soul,  and 
mind. 


58  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

And  many  ministers  and  theologians  at  the  present  day,  will 
tell  us,  the  same  is  taught  in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures, 
by  one  of  the  Apostles,  at  least  (See  i  Thess.  5,  23.)  Must 
of  the  early  Fathers  seem  also  to  have  believed  it,  viz  :  Irencus, 
Clemens,  Alexander,  Origin,  Ignatius,  Philadelphus,  and  going 
back  to  earlier  ages,  Josephus.  (See  Antiquities,  etc.)  But 
above  all  these,  let  us  go  back  to  the  authority  of  the  Bible, 
which  in  reference  to  the  formation  of  man  mentions  the  three 
distinct  parts.  (See  (Genesis  2,  7.)  The  dust  of  the  earth,  or 
the  body,  the  living  soul,  or  the  animal  and  sensitive  part,  and 
the  breath  of  life,  that  is  the  spirit,  or  rational  mind. 

But,  says  the  modern  Scientist,  Sceptic,  Infidel,  and  Spiritual- 
ist, we  accept  no  such  authority  as  you  give,  as  it  is  contrary  to 
the  natural  law  of  progression,  and  reason,  and  therefore  we 
deny  it,  because  we  do  not  believe  it !  " 

Well,  in  point  of  fact,  my  friends,  we  care  but  little  whether 
you  believe  it  or  not ;  your  not  believing  it  does  not  alter  the 
facts,  for  they  still  stand  out  just  the  same,  in  blazing  charac- 
ters, "stubborn  things"  as  they  are,  yet  shining  forth  "  like  ap- 
ples of  burnished  gold  in  pictures  of  silver."  And  the  simple 
fact  of  your  negation  cuts  no  figure  in  the  case  whatever  ;  nor 
are  we  in  the  least  surprised  at  it ;  for  the  same  Book,  the  Book 
of  Books,  to  which  we  have  referred,  tells  us  some  remarkable 
things  about  those  who  are  of  your  way  of  thinking,  and  believ- 
ing, and  teaching.  (See  II  Thess.  3,  also  II  Peter,  2  ch.)  But  es- 
pecially would  we  invite  your  careful  and  serious  attention  to  a 
part  of  the  second  chapter  of  II  Thessalonians,  so  that  there 
need  no  longer  be  any  excuse  for  your  not  knowing  who  you 
are,  and  what  you  are,  and  your  final  destiny,  if  you  continue 
on  in  the  direction  you  have  now  taken.  For  the  words  refer 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  59 

directly  to  you  ;  and  in  yours,  and  this,  our  present  day,  and 
to  all  whom  you  are  leading  on  down  to  perdition  by  your  des- 
perately wicked  and  damnable  doctrines  and  teachings.  Hear 
what  the  inspired  word  of  God  says,  spoken  by  His  servant, 
as  the  Spirit  gave  him  utterance  ($d  v.):  "  Let  no  man  deceive 
you  [the  saints  in  Christ  or  children  of  God]  by  any  means,  for 
that  day  shall  not  come  [/.  £.,  the  second  coming  of  Christ],  ex- 
cept there  come  a  falling  away  first,  and  that  man  of  sin  be  re- 
vealed, the  son  of  perdition."  4th  :  "  Who  opposeth  and  ex- 
alteth  himself  above  all  that  is  called  God,  or  that  is  worshipped ; 
so  that  he,  as  God,  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  showing  him- 
self that  he  is  God."  yth  :  "  For  the  mystery  of  iniquity  doth 
already  work,  only  he  who  letteth  [Svorketh/  as  a  better  trans- 
lation reads],  and  Christ  suffereth  him  to  work,  until  the  time  is 
fulfilled,  that  he  shall  be  taken  out  of  the  way."  8th  :  "And 
then  shall  that  wicked  one  be  revealed,  whom  the  Lord  shall 
consume  with  his  mouth,  and  shall  destroy  with  the  brightness 
of  his  coming."  gth  :  "  Yea,  the  Lord,  even  Jesus,  whose  com- 
ing is  not  until  after  there  cometh  a  falling  away,  by  the  work- 
ing of  Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs,  and  lying  wonders."  loth: 
"  And  with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteousness  in  them  that 
perish,  because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth,  that  they 
might  be  saved."  nth  :  "  And  for  this  cause,  God  shall  send 
them  strong  delusion,  that  they  should  believe  a  lie"  i2th: 
"  That  they  all  might  be  damned  who  believed  not  the  truth, 
but  had  pleasure  in  unrighteousness." 

If  there' be  any  consolation  to  the  Infidel  or  Spiritualist,  and 
all  his  kindred,  of  whatever  sect  or  name,  be  it  Socialist,  Com- 
munist, New  Christian  Scientist,  Evolutionist,  Sceptic,  Agnostic 
&  Co.,  in  the  few  passages  of  Scripture  just  referred  to,  or,  in- 


00  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

deed,  in  any  other  part  of  the  inspired  Word,  from  the  begin- 
ning of  Genesis  to  the  end  of  Revelations,  we  want  them  to 
have  the  full  benefit  of  it.  And  surely  no  Spiritualist,  or  any 
one  of  their  whole  school  of  craft,  can  complain  of  unfairness 
or  selfishness  on  our  part  in  this,  for  we  certainly  seek  not  to 
take  the  least  advantage  in  this  way,  or  in  anything  we  have  said. 
For  do  not  they  themselves  claim  to  be  teachers  of  a  "  New 
Christian  Science  ?  "  And  do  not  the  Spiritualists  also  claim 
for  Christ,  that  he,  too,  was  the  greatest  Spiritualistic  medium 
of  whom  they  have  any  knowledge  ?  And  have  we  not  quoted 
in  preceding  chapters,  verbatim,  what  many  of  their  leading 
minds  and  teachers  of  their  doctrines  think  of  Christ  and  his 
Apostles  ?  Why,  then,  should  they  wince,  when  the  goad  pricks, 
and  cry  out  "  unfairness,  unfairness,"  and  "  persecution  "  ?  Let 
them  then,  like  men,  come  forward,  stand  by  the  Law  and  the 
testimony  of  the  word  of  God,  which  never  has,  and  never  can 
be  overthrown,  and  if  there  is  any  light  in  them,  give  that  light 
to  the  world,  in  the  bright  sunshine  of  open  day,  and  not  be- 
hind screens  and  curtains,  in  a  dark  room,  or  under  cover  of  a 
dark  lantern  or  dim  taper. 

In  concluding  this  chapter,  it  will  perhaps  be  well  to  add  that 
quite  all  Protestant  Christian  Commentators,  and  writers  on 
prophecy  and  revelations,  are  generally  agreed  that  the  4th 
verse  we  have  quoted  in  II  Thess.,  2  ch.,  has  direct  reference 
to  the  Roman  Hierarchy,  or  more  especially  to  the  Pontiff  Pope 
himself.  And  whilst  this  may  be  true,  yet  to  our  mind,  the  in- 
terpretation is  not  so  clear  as  it  should  be,  to  make  it  thus 
apply,  though,  without  doubt,  it  would  so  seem.  The  reader, 
however,  will  find,  by  turning  to  Isaiah  14  :  9-16,  inclusive, 
also  Daniel  8  :  9-12,  as  well  as  Rev.  12 :  3,  4,  that  which  will 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  6 1 

perhaps  throw  more  light  on  this  subject,  as  the  great  Dragon, 
the  father  of  Modern  Spiritualism,  is  here  plainly  described ; 
but  as  we  have  no  space  to  discuss  the  subject  further  at  this 
time,  more  will  be  said  in  our  treatise  on  Prophecy  and  Reve- 
lations, when  published. 


62  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

Miracles  and  Wonders  claimed  by  Spiritualists.  The  voice  of  God  against 
consulting  Familiar  Spirits  pointed  and  plain.  Unclean  Spirits  de- 
scribed. Texts  of  Scripture  claimed  by  Spiritualists,  to  prove  their 
Doctrines. 

IN  a  preceding  chapter,  we  have  positively  denied  the  return 
of  human  Spirits  to  this  earth  again  after  having  left  the  body, 
and  k,  (the  body)  is  known  to  be  no  longer  living,  or  animate 
matter.  And  we  have  yet  to  see  or  hear,  or  receive  the  truth 
of  this  claim  from  Spiritualists. 

And  if  in  this,  they  have  thus  far  failed  to  demonstrate  the 
great  phenomenon  thus  claimed,  it  follows  as  a  natural  sequence 
likewise,  that  the  wonderful  miracle  of  materialization  they  also 
claim  to  create  or  produce,  must  of  necessity  be  a  failure  too. 
And  so,  by  following  up  this  vantage  ground,  the  natural  infer- 
ence and  conclusion  indeed  from  the  casual  reader  will  be,  that 
all  tricks  they  perform  are  also  nothing  more  or  less  than  clever 
'sleight  of  hand  performances,  legerdemain,  or  necromancy. 

But  granting,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  that  some  of  them, 
at  least,  are  indeed  real,  and  supernatural,  does  this  justify  in 
the  least,  a  belief  in  Spiritualism,  or  the  mysterious  occult  art  ? 

And  in  applying  the  touchstone  as  a  test  to  this,  let  us  again 
"To  the  Law,  and  to  the  testimony,  and  if  they  have  not  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them"  And  if  they,  (the 
Spirits,  and  Spiritualists  as  mediums,)  have  this  light  in  them, 
let  them  come  forward  and  set  it  out  in  open  day,  or  in  the 
bright  light  of  a  lamp,  that  it  may  give  light  to  all  that  are  in 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  63 

the  room,  and  not  do  their  wonder-working  miracles,  which  they 
claim,  as  we  have  already  said,  under  cover. 

In  the  book  of  Leviticus,  19  :  31,  the  command  is  "Regard 
not  them  that  have  familiar  spirits,  neither  seek  after  wizards, 
to  be  defiled  by  them."  And  in  Deut.  18  :  10-12  ;  "  There  shall 
not  be  found  among  you  any  one  that  maketh  his  son  or  his 
daughter  to  pass  through  the  fire,  or  that  useth  divination,  or 
that  is  an  observer  of  times,or  an  enchanter,  or  a  necromancer. 
For  all  that  do  these  things  are  an  abomination  unto  the  Lord." 
Isaiah  8  :  19. 

"  And  when  they  shall  say  unto  you,  Seek  unto  them  that 
have  familiar  spirits,  and  unto  wizards  that  peep,  and  mutter, 
should  not  a  people  seek  unto  their  God,  for  the  living  among 
the  dead?" 

I  Chronicles  x :  13.  "So  Saul  died  for  his  transgression  which 
he  committed  against  the  Lord,  even  against  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  which  he  kept  not,  and  also  for  asking  counsel  of  one 
who  had  a  familiar  spirit,  to  enquire  of  it." 

Turning  to  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  -the  Apostle  Paul 
tells  us  (Tim.  4:1,  2)  "  that  the  Spirit  [of  God]  speaketh  ex- 
pressly that  in  the  later  times  some  shall  depart  from  the  faith, 
giving  heed  to  seducing  spirits,  and  doctrines  of  devils." 
"  Speaking  lies  in  hypocrisy ;  having  their  conscience  seared 
with  a  hot  iron."  Forbidding  to  marry,  etc.  He  also  mentions 
a  class  "  having  a  form  of  Godliness,  but  deny  the  power  there- 
of"; and  adds,  ''from  such  turn  away."  "For  this  sort  are 
they  which  creep  into  houses  and  lead  captive  silly  women 
laden  with  sins,  led  away  with  divers  lusts,  ever  learning,  and 
never  able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

Could  modern  Spiritualists  be  more  clearly  described  in  a 


64  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

few  words  ?  for  truly  there  is  a  great  advancement  in  learning 
among  them,  and  they  even  number  many  of  the  "  learned  of 
the  age  "  among  their  believers  ;  and  whilst  they  attempt  to  hold 
communication  with  the  Spirit  world,  and  penetrate  the  veil 
even  of  that  world,  and  see  what  is  in  it  also,  and  have  it  in 
their  power  to  call  to  their  presence  the  inhabitants  of  that 
world,  and  cause  them  to  do  their  bidding. 

But  they  even  go  yet  further  than  this,  and  not  only  declare 
that  the  human  soul  (or  Spirit)  returns  to  the  earth  at  will  and 
through  other  human  organisms,  but  give  revelations  concern- 
ing the  state  or  condition  of  the  unseen  world  of  Spirits,  and 
unfold  the  mysteries  of  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future  to 
mortals  here  on  earth,  and  state  that  we  can,  /.  e.,  if  we  believe 
the  doctrines  of  Spirit  communication,  converse  with  those  of 
our  own  friends  and  loved  ones,  and  others  who  have  passed 
over  to  the  Spirit  land. 

I  have  said,  if  we  believe  the  docrine  of  Spiritualism ;  but  if 
we  do  not,  neither  medium  or  Spirit  is  likely  to  take  much  notice 
of  us  at  their  seances,  unless  they  can  read  our  minds,  as  they 
profess  to  be  often  able  to  do,  and  so  satisfy  themselves  that  the 
individual  is  a  fit  subject  to  become  a  good  member,  or  even 
medium,  such  as  will  be  able  to  assist  in  carrying  on  the  great 
work. 

Leading  Spiritualists  also  tell  us  that  Spiritualism,  in  its  broad- 
est, divinest  sense,  underlies  and  enzones  all  that  relates  to  man 
in  its  organization,  and  in  its  dual,  or  two-fold  nature,  in  its 
capacities,  purposes,  duties  and  final  destiny. 

They,  however,  deny  man's  tripartite,  or  three-fold  nature,  to 
which  we  have  referred  in  a  preceding  chapter,  wholly  ignoring 
the  soul  or  animal  and  sensitive  part  of  man,  such  as  is  gener- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  65 

ally  believed  to  impart  volition,  emotion,  etc.  They  also  tell 
us  Spiritualism  embraces  all  that  is  known,  or  can,  or  may  be 
be  discovered  of  God,  the  infinite  Spirit  of  the  world  of  Spir- 
its, of  psychological  influences  of  whatever  kind,  and  of  the  oc- 
cult forces  that  pertain  to  the  whole  realm  of  Spirit  and  matter. 
But  in  point  of  fact,  however,  the  summum  bonum  of  the  whole 
matter  seems  to  be,  when  clearly  and  fairly  sifted,  that  it  gener- 
ally resolves  itself  into  Spirit  manifestations  and  communica- 
tions with  fellow  creatures,  who  still  tabernacle  here  on  earth 
in  mortal  flesh. 

And  this,  without  doubt,  after  all,  aside  from  everything  also 
claimed  by  Spiritualists  for  the  "New  Christian  Science  "  and 
Spiritualism  in  general,  is  the  strong  sheet  anchor  which  has 
thus  far  supported  the  whole  false  structure.  And  should  this 
vile  and  wicked  nonsense  be  once  clearly  shown  up  to  the  pub- 
lic gaze  as  a  myth  and  cunning  lie,  originating  only  with  Satan, 
the  father  of  all  Spiritualist  lies  now  flaunted  before  the  public 
and  taught  and  practiced,  which  can  easily  enough  be  done 
when  properly  taken  in  hand,  we  shall  then  see  the  last  and 
only  sure  prop — as  it  is  considered — swept  away ;  and  then 
once  more  the  grandest,  most  powerful,  mighty  and  gigantic 
scheme  that  the  great  two-horned  beast,  with  the  mouth  of  a 
dragon,  spoken  of  in  Prophecy  and  Revelations,  has  ever 
set  on  foot  since  the  days  of  our  progenitors,  Adam  and  Eve,  in 
the  garden,  to  thwart  the  purposes  of  God,  to  overthrow 
Christ's  Kingdom,  and  so  destroy  Christianity.  And  hence 
modern  Spiritualism  will  then  get  a  black  eye,  such  as  it  will 
never  recover  from  till  Satan,  its  author,  shall  have  devised  and 
concocted  some  better  scheme  for  its  perpetuity. 

The  question,  however,  will  at  once  arise  in  the  mind,  per- 


66  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

haps,  of  some  Christian  reader,  if  not  in  the  mind  of  the  Spirit- 
ualist, Can  this  be  done — i.  e.t  a  negative  proof  given  of  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul  ?  And  we  have  already  said  that  we  think 
this  can  be  done,  and,  we  will  add  further,  even  from  clear 
Scripture  teachings,  too.  Be  not  amazed  or  shocked,  Chris- 
tian reader,  when  we  tell  you  this,  nor  think  us  one  of  those 
who  are  nominally  termed  "  Soul  Sleepers,"  for  such  is  not  true, 
so  far  as  relates  to  the  commonly  accepted  belief  among  this 
class,  many  of  whom  are  excellent,  earnest,  Christian  thinkers. 
But  we  have  what  may  be  called  our  own  views  concerning 
this  great  matter,  which,  although  not  accepted,  either  by  the 
Christian  world  generally,  or  by  Spiritualists,  yet  they  are  such 
as  we  find  in  full  accord  with  Scripture  teachings,  so  far  as 
anything  definite  is  given  or  taught  in  the  Sacred  Word. 

As  this,  however,  is  entirely  a  side  issue,  to  which  we  have 
neither  time  nor  space  to  devote  in  this  small  work,  nor  is  it  in- 
deed relative  to  the  point  just  here  ;  we  will  defer  further  notice 
of  the  subject,  which,  however  we  treated  upon  at  greater  length 
in  our  work,  soon  to  be  put  to  press,  on  "  Prophecy  and  Revela- 
tions," in  which  some  points  will  also  be  further  discussed  on  the 
subject  before  us,  viz :  Spiritualism,  Christian  Science,  etc.,  as 
applied  to  the  fulfilment  of  Prophecy  and  Revelations. 

Without,  however,  noticing  further  at  this  time,  the  main  issue 
upon  which  Spiritualism  is  based,  viz  :  the  return  of  the  human 
Spirit  to  earth  at  will,  etc.  we  will  notice  other  equally  wonder- 
ful claims,  such  as  "miracle  working  power";  denying  at  the 
same  time  that  Christ  and  his  Apostles  ever  did  anything  of  the 
kind;  /'.  e.,  work  miracles.  But  that  modern  Spiritualists  do  this 
we  will  grant,  not  as  mediums,  however,  through  departed  hu- 
man Spirits,  as  we  have  already  denied  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
their  return  to  earth  for  this,  or  any  other  purpose. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  67 

As  to  their  being  able  to  perform  miracles,  however,  this,  I 
say,  we  grant,  not  from  what  we  and  others  may  have  seen  and 
heard  only,  but  also  from  what  is  taught  in  the  inspired  Word, 
not  only  by  prophecy,  but  actual  revelation.  Christ  tells  us : 
"There  shall  arise  false  Christs  and  false  prophets,  and  [they] 
shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders,  in  so  much  that  if  it  were 
possible,  they  shall  deceive  the  very  elect "  [children  of  God]. 
[N.  B. — Some  of  the  texts  we  have  already  referred  to  in  a  pre- 
ceding chapter,  but  find  it  necessary  to  repeat  texts  occasionally 
for  the  better  serving  of  our  purposes.] 

And  John  the  Revelator  says  :  "  I  saw  three  unclean  spirits, 
like  frogs,  come  up  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  dragon,  and  out  of 
the  mouth  of  the  beast,  and  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  false  proph- 
et, for  they  are  the  spirits  of  devils,  working  miracles,  which  go 
forth  unto  the  Kings  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  whole  world,  etc." 

The  Apostle  Paul  also  tells  us  :  "  Now,  as  Jannes  and  Jam- 
bres  withstood  Moses,  so  do  these  [spiritualists]  also  resist  the 
truth;  men  of  corrupt  minds  reprobate  concerning  the  faith,  etc." 
But  how  did  Jannes  and  Jambres  withstand  Moses?  "  Not 
[says  a  gifted  writer,  whose  name  we  have  already  mentioned, 
and  from  whose  writings  we  have  already  quoted]  by  debate  or 
personal  encounter  with  weapons,  but  by  imitating  the  works 
done  by  Moses  and  Aaron,  as  it  reads  in  Exodus,  8:7;  'And 
the  magicians  did  so  with  their  enchantments,  and  brought  up 
frogs  upon  the  land  of  Egypt.'  *  Here  we  see  Aaron,  the  High 

*  And  although  we  read  further  in  the  same  chapter  that 
these  frogs  ''died  out  of  the  houses,  out  of  the  villages,  and  out 
of  the  fields,"  and  were  afterwards  "  gathered  together  in  heaps, 
and  caused  the  land  to  stink,"  yet  it  would  seem  that  their 
numbers  have  greatly  multiplied  even  since  then,  for  as  the 
writer  was  driving  one  morning  from  Cairo,  along  the  Nile,  a 


68  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

Priest,  spokesman  and  brother  of  Moses,  "  cast  his  rod  upon 
the  ground,  and  it  turned  into  a  living  serpent,"  and  the  ma- 
gicians cast  theirs  down  also,  in  imitation  of  Aaron,  and  they 
became  serpents  likewise,  but  Aaron's  serpent  (or  rod)  being 
the  most  formidable,  swallowed  theirs  up  ;  no  doubt  greatly  to 
the  amazement  of  these  magicians.  So,  likewise  also,  in  causing 
the  frogs,  of  which  we  have  just  spoken,  to  come  out  of  the  riv- 
er, by  their  enchantments.  They  did  also  the  same  in  like  man- 
ner in  turning  the  rivers  of  water  into  blood. 

But  when  Aaron  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  with  his  rod 
smote  the  dust  of  the  earth,  "  and  it  became  lice  in  man  and 
in  beast/'  throughout  all  the  land,  and  the  magicians  tried  it, 
and  failed,  and  finding  themselves,  no  doubt,  covered  with  the 
dreadful  pest  at  the  same  time,  they  went  to  Pharoah  and  said 
this  was  "  the  finger  of  God." 

And  when  Moses  "took  ashes  and  sprinkled  it  up  towards 
heaven,  and  it  became  a  boil,  breaking  forth  with  blains  upon 
man  and  upon  beast  "  :  just  here  the  magicians  could  not  per- 
form their  enchantments,  for  the  sore  boils  were  already  upon 
them. 

And  so  we  find  Spiritualists  today  practicing  in  imitation, 
much  that  is  good  as  taught  and  practiced  by  Churches  gener- 
ally, but  more  especially  by  the  Church  of  Christ,  the  nearest 
to  the  model  given  by  Jesus  and  his  Apostles,  to  be  followed 
till  the  end  of  the  world.  For,  as  regards  the  gift  of  healing  in 

distance  of  ten  miles,  to  view  the  ancient  Pyramids,  tens  of 
thousands,  perhaps  millions,  of  these  slimy  reptilts,  were  seen 
coming  up  out  of  the  river,  literally  covering  the  ground  every- 
where ;  and  it  was  far  from  pleasant  to  hear  the  hoofs  of  the 
horses  crushing  their  live  flesh  and  bones  the  whole  distance 
along  the  road. 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  69 

the  Church,  which  should  be  found  and  possessed  by  the  elders 
of  every  true  Church  which  has  taken  upon  it  the  name  of 
Christ,  so  do  they  (the  Spiritualists)  the  same  even  by  the  power 
of  the  laying  on  of  hands.  As  the  gift  of  other  tongues,  of 
prophecy,  miracles,  Revelations,  casting  out  of  devils,  etc.,  in 
the  Church  of  Christ,  so  do  Spiritualists  claim  the  same,  and 
even  use  these  evidences  as  an  argument  of  Scriptural  example; 
and  yet,  in  the  very  same  breath,  deny  the  power  of  Christ  and 
his  Apostles,  as  having  been  able  to  perform  any  of  these  things. 

But  just  here  we  would  remark,  a  slight  difference  exists  be- 
tween the  manifestations  of  Spiritual  gifts  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  the  human  Spirits  of  dead  men  and  women,  or  of  other 
animal  creatures.  These  gifts  that  are  given  to  the  Church, 
and  to  the  earnest  believer  in  Christ,  who  has  first  obeyed  all 
the  commands,  and  after  having  done  so,  has  the  promise  of 
the  blessed  Master  that  "  these  signs  shall  follow,"  etc.,  as  the 
reader  will  observe,  are  given  after  his  belief  is  established,  and 
not  to  precede  faith,  and  furnish  grounds  for  belief,  as  we  see  it  in 
the  case  of  Spiritualists. 

By  what  proof,  authority,  or  assumption  have  Spiritualists  the 
right  to  deny  the  resurrection  of  Christ's  body  from  the  grave, 
or  his  ascension  up  to  heaven,  or  his  wonderful  miracles  which 
he  and  his  disciples  performed,  or  his  divinity,  or  miraculous 
conception  ?  They  tell  us,  "  Simply  because,  First,  departed 
Spirits  with  whom  they  communicate  do  not  believe  it ;  Second, 
the  Spirits  are  right  in  thus  disbelieving,  because  to  believe  in 
the  literal  resurrection  of  Christ's  body,  would  be  to  ignore  all 
known  laws  of  Nature ;  such  a  thing  being  incompatible  either 
with  those  that  pertain  to  the  physical  body,  or  those  which 
pertain  to  the  Spirit." 


70  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

In  a  word,  it  is,  they  say,  entirely  incompatible  with  natural 
law,  therefore  they  disbelieve  it.  Just  so  deny  his  miracles  as 
performed  through  power  given  him  through  God  the  Father, 
through  the  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Or  his  , Christ's, 
power  to  impart  the  same  gifts  to  his  disciples,  through  the  same 
Spirit. 

And  yet,  these  same  Spiritualists  through  their  mediums, 
being  acted  upon  by  departed  Spirits,  through  some  influence 
other  than  God  entirely,  do  perform  "  signs  and  wonders,"  and 
even  miracles  the  most  astonishing. 

But  why  should  Spiritualists,  through  their  mediums  acted 
on  by  Spirits,  seek  to  counterfeit  the  Christian  religion,  and 
therefore  do  the  very  works  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles,  if  he 
and  they  were  frauds  and  cheats  ?  Will  some  highly  intelligent 
Spiritualist  please  rise  and  explain  ?  The  existence  of  a  coun- 
terfeit or  illegal  note,  or  a  spurious  coin  of  a  certain  amount, 
date,  etc.,  presupposes  the  actual  fact  that  a  genuine  one  bear- 
ing the  same  impress  has  not  only  existed,  but  very  probably 
still  exists.  A  false  Christ,  is  of  itself  prima  facie  evidence  that 
a  true  Christ  has  existed  and  still  exists  ;  false  prophets  prove 
that  there  were  true  ones,  and  a  miracle-working  power  said  to 
be  that  of  devils,  as  we  have  already  shown,  now  existing,  also 
demonstrates  the  fact  that  there  have  been,  and  are  still,  signs 
and  wonders  done  by  an  opposite  power,  /*  e.:  of  God. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  7 1 


CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Saul,  the  Witch  of  En-dor,  and  Spirit  of  the  Prophet  Samuel,  when 
Shown  Up  in  the  True  Light,  Prove  Nothing  in  Favor  of  Spiritualism, 
neither  does  the  Spirit  which  Eliphaz  Saw,  when  its  True  Character  is 
Brought  to  Light. 

WE  have  already  referred  the  reader  to  a  number  of  pas- 
sages and  texts  of  Scripture  in  preceding  chapters,  claimed  by 
Spiritualists  to  prove  their  doctrines ;  and  before  passing  on  to 
the  teachings  of  the  Prophecies  and  Revelations,  as  a  closing 
issue  bearing  upon  Spiritualism,  we  will  first  notice  the  case  of 
Saul,  and  his  consultations  with  the  Spirit  medium,  and  also 
Eliphaz  and  his  terrifying  vision,  etc. 

In  the  28th  chapter  of  the  first  book  of  Samuel,  we  learn 
that  after  Saul  had  "  enquired  of  the  Lord,"  and  received  no 
answer  concerning  what  he  wished  to  know,  "  neither  by  dream- 
ing, nor  by  Urim,  nor  by  prophets,"  then  said  Saul  to  his 
servants,  {;  Seek  me  a  woman  that  has  a  familiar  Spirit,  that  I 
may  go  to  her  and  enquire  of  her.  And  his  servants  said  to 
him,  Behold,  there  is  a  woman  that  hath  a  familiar  spirit  at  En- 
dor.  And  Saul  disguised  himself,  and  put  on  other  raiment, 
and  he  went,  and  two  men  went  with  him,  and  they  came  to  the 
woman  by  night ;  and  he  said,  I  pray  thee  divine  unto  me  by 
the  familiar  spirit,  and  bring  him  up  whom  I  shall  name  unto 
thee.  But  the  woman  was  afraid,  knowing  how  Saul  had  al- 
ready tried"  to  exterminate  every  witch  in  the  land,  and  so  she 
had  hid  herself  away  by  this  little  town  of  En-dor  in  a  cave.* 

*  For  such  it  was  which  she  was  in,  as  the  same  spot  is 
pointed  out  to  travellers  to  this  day,  and  was  shown  to  the 
writer  when  exploring  Palestine. 


72  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

"  And  Saul  sware  to  her  by  the  Lord,  saying,  As  the  Lord 
liveth,  there  shall  no  punishment  happen  to  thee  for  this  thing. 
Then  said  the  woman,  Whom  shall  I  bring  up  to  thee  ?  " 

And  after  the  old  witch  had  gone  through  her  conjurations 
(we  are  not  told  just  how  she  did  it  or  by  what  process),  "  When 
she  saw  Samuel,"  the  record  tells  us,  "  she  screamed  aloud," 
being  no  doubt  dreadfully  frightened  not  only  at  what  she  saw, 
but  it  seems  she  made  the  wonderful  discovery  at  the  same 
moment  that  Saul  himself  was  also  present.  But  the  King 
told  her  to  be  not  afraid,  but  to  tell  him  what  she  saw.  "  And 
the  woman  said  unto  Saul,  '  I  saw  gods  ascending  out  of  the 
earth.'  And  Saul  asked  her,  *  What  form  is  he  of?'  And  she 
said,  *  An  old  man  cometh  up,  and  he  is  covered  with  a  mantle.' 
And  Saul  perceived  that  it  was  Samuel,"  etc.  "  And  Samuel 
said  :  4  Why  hast  thou  disquieted  me,  to  bring  me  up  ? '"  Saul's 
condition,  just  at  this  time,  was  indeed  a  most  lamentable  one. 
He  had  been  forsaken  by  the  prophet  Samuel  before  his  death, 
on  account  of  disobedience,  and  now  he  was  forsaken  of  God 
after  the  prophet's  death  ;  and,  worse  still,  as  he  viewed  it,  the 
great  army  of  the  Philistines  were  already  upon  him ;  and  there- 
fore we  can  at  once  see  to  what  desperate  measures  he  was  now 
driven,  even  to  seeking  out  an  old  witch,  who  had  "  a  familiar 
spirit,"  and  consulting  with  her,  or  rather  trying  to  consult  with 
the  spirit  of  Samuel  through  her  mediumship.  "  And  she 
said,  *  I  saw  gods  ascending  out  of  the  earth.' "  And  he  asked 
her,  "  Of  what  form  is  he  ?  "  This  old  witch  had  not  told  him 
she  saw  a  god  or  a  spirit,  but  i: '  gods '  coming  up  out  of  the 
earth/' 

Saul's  whole  mind  was  fixed  and  bent  upon  seeing  the  spirit 
of  Samuel,  and  he  doubtless  had  the  living  image  of  the  aged 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  73 

prophet  as  clearly  before  his  eyes  just  then,  as  if  he  had  seen  in 
natural  form,  and,  it  would  seem,  almost  entirely  without  re- 
gard to  what  the  witch  had  just  told  him,  he  now  asks,  "  Of 
what  form  is  he  ?"  "And  she  said,  'An  old  man  cometh  up, 
and  he  is  covered  with  a  mantle.'  And  Saul  perceived  that  it 
was  Samuel." 

But  how  did  he  know  it?  Saul  well  remembered  that  man- 
tle of  the  prophet  Samuel,  for,  on  a  former  occasion,  before 
Samuel's  death,  when  Saul  would  have  had  him  perform  a  cer- 
tain service  for  him,  and  Samuel  positively  refused,  Saul  laid  vio- 
lent hands  upon  Samuel  in  one  of  his  fits' of  desperation,  such 
as  was  known  to  often  take  possession  of  him,  and  had  rent  that 
mantle  in  twain ;  when,  at  the  same  time,  Samuel  had  told  him 
when  he  did  this,  that  as  he,  Saul,  had  rent  his,  Samuel's,  man- 
tle, so  should  his  kingdom  be  rent  from  him.  And  now  that 
the  great  army  of  the  Philistines  had  come  up  against  him  in 
mighty  power,  he  could  get  no  communication,  as  we  see,  from 
the  Lord,  "  neither  by  dream,  nor  Urim,  nor  by  prophets  "  :  he 
not  only  now  well  remembers  Samuel's  mantle,  but  the  angry 
voice  of  the  prophet,  warning  him  that  his  kingdom  was  soon 
to  be  taken  from  him  ;  and  Saul  not  only  began  to  realize  the 
fulfilling  of  that  prophecy,  but  he  well  knew  it  meant  death  to 
him  at  the  time  it  should  occur.  And  Saul  was  naturally  a 
coward  at  heart,  just  as  all  wicked  tyrants  are,  and  he  therefore 
quailed  before  what  he  perceived  to  be  the  spirit  of  Samuel. 
But  we  have  already  asked,  Was  it  the  spirit  of  Samuel  which 
Saul  now  saw  ? 

And  just  here,  we  are  again  met  by  believers  in  the  doctrines 
of  Spiritualism,  and  others,  and  asked  to  show  that  it  was  not 
placing  the  laboring  oar  again  in  our  hands,  to  disprove  what 


74  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

they  conceive  and  claim  to  be  a  positive  fact,  according  to  the 
record  as  given.  Let  us  then  examine  this  matter  a  little  fur- 
ther ;  and  when  done  with  it,  we  think  we  will  have  come  quite 
as  near  proving  the  whole  seance  a  cunningly  devised  trick  of 
Satan,  with  whom  the  old  witch  was  in  league,  as  Spiritualists 
can  prove  the  seance  real  or  genuine ;  or  as  even  they  them- 
selves believe  it  to  be.  For,  according  to  their  own  teachings, 
we  purpose  showing  that  they  do  not  believe  it  at  all.  And  if 
this  can  be  shown  as  actual  fact,  that  Spiritualits  themselves  do 
not  believe  it,  and  that  it  was  not  the  spirit  of  Samuel,  then  we 
ask,  What  have  they  left  in  support  of  their  doctrines  ?  For,  if 
proven  false  in  one  instance,  such  as  the  above,  why  may  it  not 
be  false  in  every  instance  ? 

Here  we  find  a  man,  in  the  person  of  Saul,  who  already  pos- 
sessed a  naturally  wicked  and  depraved  heart,  given  at  times  to 
following  the  most  dreadful  and  murderous  dictates  of  his  re- 
lentless, cruel  mind,  even  to  that  of  slaying  his  own  innocent 
son,  and  David,  who  afterwards  became  king ;  and  this,  too, 
under  the  most  unprovoked  circumstances,  when  the  demon 
spirit  had  taken  possession  of  him,  as  we  read  it  often  did.  And 
if  the  casual  reader  would  learn  more  of  the  true  character  of 
this  jealous,  vindictive,  vicious  and  relentless  tyrant,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  turn  to  the  first  Book  of  Samuel,  and  read  for  him 
self. 

This  mighty  monarch,  the  first  king  of  Israel,  who  had  been 
appointed  by  the  Lord,  anointed  by  his  holy  prophet,  Samuel, 
and  seated  upon  the  throne,  and  who  had  swayed  the  sceptre 
over  Judea,  and  other  kingdoms,  we  see  had  probably  suffered 
himself  from  early  boyhood  to  give  way  to  the  most  ungovern- 
able temper  ;  and  this  perhaps  was  tolerated  without  either  re- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  75 

buke  or  correction  from  his  parents,  due  to  the  fact  of  his  being 
"a  choice  young  man,"  and  a  goodly;  "and  there  was  not  among 
the  children  of  Israel  a  goodlier  person  than  he ;  from  his  shoul- 
ders and  upwards  he  was  higher  than  any  of  the  people."  (See 
I  Samuel,  9  :  2,  and  10:23.)  And  with  this  handsome  form  and 
face,  standing  as  he  did  "head  and  shoulders"  above  all  his 
brothers,  he  was,  no  doubt,  a  petted  and  spoiled  boy,  who  was 
suffered,  without  restraint,  to  have  his  own  way  about  things 
generally  ;  and  hence  the  demon  spirit  was  suffered  to  take  pos- 
session of  him,  early  in  life,  and  so  control  ever  afterwards,  at 
times,  at  least.  And  although  we  read  that  at  one  time  God  did 
put  the  good  spirit  into  his  heart,  and  so  changed  it,  perhaps, 
for  a  little  while,  yet  it  seems  to  have  failed  to  find  a  permanent 
lodgment  there. 

And  now,  as  we  have  said,  on  this  particular  occasion,  after 
the  death  of  the  prophet  Samuel,  Saul  finds  himself  forsaken 
of  God,  and  wholly  given  up  to  Satan,  to  be  led  captive  at  his 
will.  The  great  adversary  of  human  souls,  or  spirits,  had  stuck 
close  to  Saul  all  through  his  kingship,  ever  seeking  to  influence 
him  to  evil,  step  by  step,  and  lead  him  in  his  downward  course. 

And  now,  in  the  advanced  years  of  his  life,  and  the  closing 
of  his  kingly  reign,  Satan  has  succeeded  so  far,  as  to  have  him 
bound  hand  and  foot,  and  wholly  given  over  to  irretrievable 
destruction.  Saul,  well  knowing  and  realizing  this,  alas  !  when 
too  late,  he  becomes  desperate ;  the  Philistines,  we  see,  had 
come  upon  him  and  his  great  army,  and  with  their  mighty 
hosts  in  battle  array,  had,  with  all  their  panoply  of  ancient 
warfare,  pitched  in  the  valley  of  Shunem,  over  against  Saul  and 
his  armies,  and  now  stood  menacing,  and  ready  to  give  battle 
to  the  armies  of  Israel. 


76  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

And  in  this  dreadful  extremity,  and  perturbed  state  of  mind, 
he  seeks  out  an  old  witch,  even  one  of  those  he  had  some  time 
before,  commanded  the  extermination  of  from  the  land,  and 
they,  /.  e.,  witches,  wizards,  necromancers,  Spirit  mediums,  etc., 
being  always  in  league  with  Satan,  and  acting  under  his  direct, 
and  immediate  control ;  this  was  now  his  crowning  opportunity 
to  put  the  finishing  stroke  to  Saul's  career.  For  Saul  had  oft- 
en served  him  faithfully,  and  now  he  was  ready  to  render  full 
compensation,  just  as  he  ever  is  to  his  most  devoted  servants, 
for  all  services  rendered,  with  final  and  everlasting  destruction. 
Satan  having  thus  lured  Saul  on,  even  to  the  very  last  hours  of 
his  earthly  existence,  he  now  brings  him  face  to  face,  if  not  with 
actual  death  itself,  at  least  with  an  old  witch,  or  necromancer, 
who  was  supposed  to  have  intercourse  with  the  spirits  of  the 
dead,  and  in  this  dreadful  state  of  mental  anxiety,  or  disordered 
mind,  as  well  as  body,  he  now  seeks  consolation  in  this  dread 
hour  of  greatest  need,  not  of  the  God  of  heaven,  nor  of  Urim, 
or  the  living  prophets,  for  this  he  had  already  done  without 
avail ;  but  of  the  spirit  of  the  deceased  prophet,  Samuel,  and 
that  through  a  medium,  a  despised,  and  once  dreaded  old  witch  ! 
Need  any  one  tell  us,  that  this  whole  matter  was  not  planned 
and  arranged  by  Satan  ?  That  he  did  not  arrange  the  whole 
scene,  and  control  the  whole  affair  ?  For  who  but  a  Sceptic, 
Infidel,  or  Modern  Spiritualist,  can  believe  it  was  not. 

"And  he  said,  '  Bring  me  up  Samuel.'  And  the  woman  told 
him,  she  saw  '  Gods  ascending  out  of  the  earth.'  And  he  said 
unto  her,  '  What  form  is  he  of  ? '  And  she  said,  '  An  old  man 
cometh  up,' "  etc.  "And  Saul  perceived  '  that  it  was  Samuel,'  " 
etc.  "  And  Samuel  said  to  Saul,  '  Why  hast  thou  disquieted 
me,  to  bring  me  up,' "  etc. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  77 

The  witch  never  told  him  she  saw  a  God,  or  a  Spirit,  com- 
ing up  out  of  the  earth,  but  Gods.  But  Saul  perceived  that  it 
was  Samuel.  "Just  the  same."  But  how  did  he  know  it? 
Tnis  is  the  question  we  want  some  highly  enlightened,  and 
educated  Spiritualist  to  answer,  for  we  are  compelled  to  con- 
fess, just  here,  we  really  have  but  little  means,  otherwise,  of 
knowing  this  fact,  if  fact  it  was  indeed.  Saul's  mind,  as  we 
have  already  said,  and  everyone  ought  to  know,  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  circumstances,  was  in  a  most  dreadful  state  of 
suspense  and  anxiety,  and  doubtless  had  been  so,  perhaps  for 
some  days,  until  he  had  become  completely  worn  down,  both 
physically  and  mentally  ;  and  having  his  whole  mind,  as  we  also 
already  remarked,  completely  absorbed  and  fastened  upon,  the 
one  idea  only,  viz  :  that  of  seeing  the  spirit  of  Sa?nuel ;  it  was 
therefore  but  an  easy  matter  in  his  then  condition,  to  even  see 
Samuel  himself,  in  bodily  form,  for  the  record  tells  us  that  he 
perceived  it  was  Samuel,  and  says  nothing  about  its  being  the 
spirit  of  Samuel.  And  that  is  just  what  the  old  witch  herself 
had  told  him  she  saw  too,  viz  :  "An  old  man  cometh  up,"  etc. 
Men  often  see  wonderful  sights,  under  certain  trying  circum- 
stances. I,  myself,  have ;  and  some  men,  when  bordering  on 
delirium  tremens,  have  actually  seen  snakes  coiled  up  in  the 
decanter  from  which  they  were  about  to  take  another  fatal 
draught,  and  have,  with  trembling  hand,  started  back  in  amaze- 
ment and  horror  at  the  sight ;  and  others  also  have  felt  and 
seen  them  in  their  boots,  and  so  shook  them  out,  and  then  ran 
away,  to"  escape  them. 

Such  things  are  of  daily  occurrence,  and  a  disordered  mind 
is  capable  often  of  seeing,  hearing,  and  believing  anything. 
But  to  the  question  again  :  Was  it  Samuel  Saul  saw,  or  his 


78  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

voice  that  he  heard?  And  do  Spiritualists  themselves,  who  make 
this  passage  of  Scripture  one  of  their  very  strongest  supports, 
believe  it?  And  why  not?  Do  they  believe  and  teach  that 
dead  bodies  or  their  Spirits  ascend  up  from  the  ground,  or  come 
up  out  of  earth.  O/i,  no,  no  I 

Then  we  at  once  see  that  if  this  case  proves  anything  at  all 
for  Spiritualists,  it  proves  entirely  too  much,  and  hence  just 
nothing  at  all.  And  just  here  we  might  rest  the  case  as  it  is, 
were  it  not  that  we  desire  to  add  a  few  more  brief  remarks  fur- 
ther, viz :  that  whilst  we  have  not  denied  that  Saul,  and  the  old 
witch,  too,  both  saw  and  heard  all  he  claims  to  have  seen  and 
heard,  yet  we  do  deny  that  it  was  either  the  body,  or  spirit,  or 
the  deceased  body's  spirit  of  Samuel  which  Saul  saw.  And  we 
deny  it  on  the  grounds  that  the  record  is  pointed  and  clear,  that 
Saul  had  already  sold  himself  to  the  devil,  and  was  now  fully 
and  entirely  under  his  control ;  and  that  he — the  devil — as  we 
have  already  said,  had  arranged  the  whole  affair  for  Saul,  and 
was  there  present  on  the  occasion,  managing  the  whole  seance 
to  suit  himself,  and  doubtless  taking  much  delight  in  it,  too ; 
and,  as  the  Scriptures  tell  us  he  can  transform  himself  even 
into  an  "  angel  of  light,"  that  it  was  the  simplest  matter  imag- 
inable for  himself  personally,  or  one  of  his  spirits,  to  imperson- 
ate the  body  or  spirit  of  the  prophet  Samuel,  as  well  as  imitate 
his  voice,  and  so  managed  the  whole  diabolical  affair  to  their 
full  content.  And  now,  if  any  Spiritualist  can  make  anything 
more  or  better  out  of  this  little  seance,  they  are  entirely  wel- 
come to  it,  and  can  take  the  case. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  79 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Spirit  which  Eliphaz,  the  Temanite,  Saw,  Job.  4  :  12,  21.  Its  Char- 
acter for  Truth  Questioned.  The  Angel  which  Balaam's  Ass  Saw, 
and  the  Voice  with  which  It  Spoke,  Considered.  Also,  Moses  and 
Elias,  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration. 

In  the  Book  of  Job,  4  :i2,  21,  Eliphaz  tells  us  :  "A  thing 
was  secretly,  or  by  stealth,  brought  to  him,"  etc.  And  in 
thoughts  from  the  visions  of  the  night,  when  deep  sleep  falleth 
on  men,  fear  came  upon  him,  and  trembling,  which  made  all 
his  bones  to  shake.  "Then,"  said  he,  "  a  spirit  passed  before 
my  face ;  the  hair  of  my  flesh  stood  up.  It  stood  still,  but  I 
could  not  discern  the  form  thereof;  an  image  was  before  mine 
eyes,  there  was  silence,  and  I  heard  a  voice  saying  :  *  Shall 
man  be  more  just  than  God,  or  shall  man  be  more  pure  than 
his  Maker  ?  Behold,  he  putteth  no  trust  in  his  servants,  and 
his  angels  he  charged  with  folly,' "  etc. 

Any  one,  on  reading  the  above,  will  at  once  see  that  it  is  very 
probable  that  Eliphaz  had  been  suddenly  roused  up  from  some 
terrible  dream,  superinduced,  perhaps,  by  a  heavy  supper, 
which  had  occasioned  a  violent  attack  of  "  nightmare,"  and  in 
this  perturbed  state  of  mind,  he  beheld  the  Spirit  to  which  he 
alludes  ;  and  being,  no  doubt,  of  a  rather  visionary  and  nervous 
temperament,  naturally,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he 
would  be  dreadfully  frightened  at  what  he  saw.  And,  we  may 
add,  such  things,  indeed,  often  occur  to  men,  and  women,  too. 
We  speak  not  only  from  a  general  knowledge,  but  actual  expe- 
rience also,  for  we  have  passed  through  just  such  or  similar 
sensations,  and  know  just  what  the  effect  is. 


8o  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

But  what  was  it  that  Eliphaz  saw  ?  Was  it  a  Spirit,  as  Spir- 
itualists claim  it  to  have  been  ?  And  if  so,  of  what  form,  and 
to  what  sort  of  creature,  when  in  the  body,  did  it  belong ;  and 
what  was  its  character — true  or  false,  good  or  bad  ? 

Eliphaz  first  tells  us,  after  he  had  become  dreadfully  fright- 
ened, "  scared,"  as  the  general  expression  is,  out  of  his  wits  ;  he 
then  "saw  a  spirit  pass  before  his  face,"  which,  after  "fear  and 
trembling"  had  already  seized  upon  him,  so  as  to  "  make  all 
his  bones  to  shake,"  now  caused  "  the  hair  of  his  flesh  to  stand 
up."  "It,"  he  says,  "stood  still,"  but  he  "could  not  discern 
the  form  thereof."  And  he  next  tells  us  "  an  image  was  before 
his  eyes,"  etc.  There  can  be  no  doubt,  from  the  record  here 
given,  that  the  mind  of  Eliphaz  was  in  a  state  of  great  confusion 
during  his  dreadful  fright.  So  that  this  spirit,  or  image,  or  spi- 
rit and  image,  both  combined,  whatever  it  was,  kept  its  form 
concealed  from  him,  so  that  he  could  not  tell  just  how  it  looked, 
or  what  it  looked  like,  whether  like  Angel,  mortal  man,  dragon, 
demon,  or  what  not.  Neither  does  he  tell  us  what  kind  of 
voice  it  had,  or  how  it  sounded.  But  he  does  tell  us  what  it 
said  ;  and  just  here  we  are  compelled  to  protest  against  its  not 
having  spoken  truth,  when  it  said,  "  God  puts  no  trust  in  his 
servants,"  etc.,  and  "  his  angels  he  charged  with  folly,"  for  he 
does  no  such  thing  as  not  trust  his  servants,  and  charge  his  an- 
gels with  folly.  So,  if  this  was  a  Spirit  which  Eliphaz  saw  (or 
thought  he  saw),  we  see  it  was  careful  not  to  display  its  form 
before  him,  so  that  he  might  "  discern  "  what  manner  of 
ture,  or  Spirit,  it  was  ;  whether  of  human  form,  demon,  dragon, 
or  Satan,  and  moreover  was  a  lying  Spirit,  as  we  think  we  have 
clearly  shown.  Therefore  we  see,  as  in  the  foregoing  chapter, 
concerning  Saul  and  his  Spirit  intercourse,  that  if  the  above 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  8 1 

proves  any  for  Spiritualism,  it  also  proves  too  much,  again ;  and 
as  we  cannot  endorse  its  moral  character,  whatever  kind  of  Spi- 
rit or  demon  it  may  have  been,  we  are  also  willing  that  the  Spi- 
ritualists should  have  the  benefit  of  it,  likewise,  the  same  as  the 
spirit  of  the  Witch  of  En-dor.  The  next  and  only  passage  of 
Scripture  we  shall  notice  at  this  time,  in  the  Old  Testament  par- 
ticularly, is  the  one  in  Numbers,  22  :  26-34,  which  reads  as  fol- 
lows :  "  And  Balaam  rose  up  in  the  morning,  and  saddled  his 
ass,  and  went  with  the  Princes  of  Moab.  And  God's  anger  was 
kindled  because  he  went ;  and  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  in 
the  way,  for  an  adversary  against  him.  Now  he  was  riding  upon 
his  ass,  and  his  two  servants  were  with  him.  And  the  ass  saw 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  standing  in  the  way,  and  his  drawn 
sword  in  his  hand,  and  the  ass  turned  aside  out  of  the  way,  and 
went  into  the  field ;  and  Balaam  smote  the  ass,  to  turn  her  in 
the  way.  Then  the  angel  of  the  Lord  stood  in  a  path  of  the 
vineyards,  a  wall  being  on  this  side  and  on  that  side.  And 
when  the  ass  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  she  thrust  herself  into 
the  wall,  and  crushed  Balaam's  foot  against  the  wall ;  and  he 
smote  her  again.  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  went  further,  and 
stood  in  a  narrow  place,  where  was  no  way  to  turn,  either  to 
the  right  hand  or  to  the  left.  And  when  the  ass  saw  the  an- 
gel of  the  Lord,  she  fell  down  under  Balaam ;  and  Balaam's 
anger  was  kindled,  and  he  smote  the  ass  with  a  staff.  And 
the  Lord  opened  the  mouth  of  the  ass,  and  she  said  unto  Ba- 
laam :  '  What  have  I  done  unto  thee,  that  thou  hast  smitten 
me  these  three  times  ?  '  And  Balaam  said  unto  the  ass  :  '  Be- 
cause thou  hast  mocked  me.  I  would  there  were  a  sword  in 
my  hand,  for  now  would  I  kill  thee.'  And  fthe  ass  said  unto 
Balaam,  'Am  I  not  thine  ass,  upon  which  thou  hast  ridden 


82  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

ever  since  I  was  thine  unto  this  day ;  was  I  ever  wont  to  do  so 
unto  thee  ? '  And  he  said,  '  Nay.'  Then  the  Lord  opened  the 
eyes  of  Balaam,  and  he  saw  the  angel  of  the  Lord  standing  in 
the  way,  and  his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand  ;  and  he  bowed 
down  his  head,  and  fell  flat  on  his  face.  And  the  angel  of  the 
Lord  said  unto  him :  '  Wherefore  hast  thou  smitten  thine  ass 
these  three  times  ?  Behold,  I  went  out  to  withstand  thee,  be- 
cause thy  way  is  perverse  before  me;  and  the  ass  knew  me,  and 
turned  from  me  these  three  times ;  unless  she  had  turned  from 
me,  surely  now,  also,  I  would  have  slain  thee  and  saved  her 
alive.'  And  Balaam  said  unto  the  angel,  '  I  have  sinned,' "  etc. 
We  have  been  careful  to  give  the  narration  of  this  wonderful 
incident,  as  we  find  it  recorded,  for  the  reason  that  it  is  the 
only  one  of  the  kind,  in  which  the  human  voice  was  ever  given 
to  a  dumb,  brute  beast ;  except  in  the  case  of  the  seven-headed 
and  ten-horned  beast,  spoken  of  in  Daniel,  and  Revelations.  In 
the  above  narration,  we  are  told,  that  an  angel  appeared  before 
man  three  distinct  times,  even  with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand, 
yet  invisible  to  his  natural  eyes  ;  whilst  he  was  distinctly  seen, 
and  feared,  and  shunned,  by  the  animal  upon  which  Balaam 
rode,  until  at  length  it  fell  to  the  ground  through  actual  fear, 
and  then  spoke  with  the  voice  of  man,  which  had  been  given 
to  it,  reasoning,  and  pleading  intelligently,  in  its  own  defense, 
when  the  eyes  of  the  wicked  prophet  are  suddenly  opened,  and 
he  too  sees  the  angel,  and  talks  with  him.  It  is  interesting  to 
the  Bible  student,  on  reading  all  that  is  said  concerning  this 
wicked  prophet  Balaam,  who  is  also  called  a  soothsayer,  that 
whilst  he  had  it  in  his  heart  to  go  to  Balak,  King  of  the 
Moabites,  and  curse  the  children  of  Israel,  for  the  reward  which 
he  might  receive  at  the  hands  of  Balak,  and  had  indeed  start- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  83 

ed  on  that  very  errand,  regardless  of  the  express  command  of 
God,  that  he  should  not  go  and  curse  them ;  yet,  afterwards 
he  went,  and  whilst  on  the  way,  we  have  already  shown  from 
the  record  what  happened  to  him ;  and  although  he  submits  to 
the  rebuke  from  the  angel  humbly,  and  no  doubt,  in  fear  and 
trembling,  after  his  eyes  had  been  opened,  as  well  as  being 
greatly  humbled  by  the  rebuke  from  the  beast  upon  which  he 
rode,  which  had  spoken  with  the  voice  of  man,  yet  the  angel 
suffers  him,  now  that  he  had  started  on  his  way,  to  go  on  with 
the  Princes  of  Balak.  But  that  "  he  would  put  words  into  his 
mouth,"  such  as  he,  Balaam,  should  speak  to  Balak.  And 
thus  we  see,  that  the  very  curses  which  Balaam  had  in  his 
heart,  against  the  people  of  Israel,  were  changed  to  blessings 
for  them,  by  the  interposition  of  the  Lord.  So  that  he  could 
not  have  possibly  uttered  a  single  curse  against  them,  even 
though  it  had  been  as  he  said,  "  Balak  would  give  him  a  house 
full  of  silver  and  gold."  For  we  see,  that  even  after  he  went  to 
Balak,  he  manifested  every  desire  still  to  curse  the  Israelties, 
having  chosen  various  positions  from  different  summits,  where 
he  could  look  down  on  the  vast  fields  of  tents,  as  they  spread 
out  over  the  great  plains  in  the  valleys,  for  many  miles  around, 
and  in  the  distance,  with  their  two  millions  and  a  half,  or 
three  millions  of  occupants.  He  even  had  altars  erected  upon 
three  different  summits,  seven  altars  at  each  place,  with  three 
bullocks  and  rams  for  a  sacrifice,  if  peradventure,  he  might  in- 
duce the  Lord,  to  permit  him  to  curse  God's  people. 

But  every  time  he  attempted  to  lift  up  his  voice  in  curses, 
the  words  of  great  blessings  and  prophecies  of  wonderful  things, 
for  those  he  would  have  cursed,  came  into  his  mouth,  in  spite 
of  himself,  and  all  he  could  do  to  prevent  them,  while  his  curses 


84  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BAR].. 

were  against  the  Moabites  of  Balak's  kingdom,  every  time  he 
uttered  his  voice,  until  finally  Balak  became  so  disgusted  and 
enraged,  and  "  his  anger  was  so  kindled  against  Balaam,'  that 
he  smote  his  hands  together,  saying  :  ''  I  called  thec  to  curse 
mine  enemies,  and  behold,  thou  hast  blessed  them  these  three 
times.  Therefore,  now  flee  unto  thy  place  ;  I  thought  to  pro- 
mote thee  to  great  honor,  but  lo,  the  Lord  hath  kept  thee  back 
from  honor."  And  although  he  yet,  even,  endeavors  to  make 
peace  with  Balak,  as  he  is  about  leaving  him,  yet  he  still  could 
do  no  more  than  continue  his  prophecies  and  blessings,  for  the 
children  of  Israel,  until  he  "  rose  up  and  went,  and  returned  to 
his  place,  and  Balak  also,  went  his  way." 

And  now,  will  any  Spiritualist  attempt  to  explain,  by  what 
power  Balaam  was  thus  acted  upon,  and  controlled,  except  by 
the  miraculous  power  of  the  God  of  the  Bible,  who  is  a  u  God 
of  miracles."  The  same  observation  will  assuredly  apply  with 
equal  force,  as  to  genuine  miraculous  power,  and  manifestation, 
concerning  the  human  voice  in  the  mouth  of  the  animal  upon 
which  Balaam  rode,  and  the  appearing  of  the  angel  with  the 
drawn  sword.  Balaam,  as  we  see,  was  not  a  prophet  of  God, 
nor  was  he  indeed  in  favor  with  God,  or  in  sympathy  with 
God's  people.  Yet  God  made  use  of  him,  just  the  same,  to 
serve  his  own  holy  and  righteous  purposes  ;  and  when  he  had 
done  that,  when  the  final  destruction  of  King  Balak,  and  his 
mighty  hosts  came,  Balaam  was  also  destroyed  with  them. 

And  thus  we  see  the  wonderful  display  of  the  Almighty 
power  and  wisdom  and  knowledge  of  God  over  the  children  of 
his  creation  ;  and  just  so  it  was  in  the  days  of  Pharoah,  King 
of  Egypt — God  had  raised  him  up  for  a  purpose — and  also  Cy- 
rus, King  of  Persia,  Alexander,  Napoleon,  and  many  others 
distinguished  on  earth. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  85 

And  in  this  way  his  wonderful  plans  and  ways  and  works  in 
his  unbounded  wisdom  are  constantly  being  carried  on,  in  all 
ages  and  from  age  to  age.  But  when  poor,  short-sighted,  fee- 
ble man,  even  though  he  be  a  "  Modern  Scientist,"  so-called, 
or  infidel  Spiritualist,  and  never  so  wise,  claims  to  understand, 
and  see,  and  know  all,  or  even  more  than  his  Creator,  God,  to 
whom  he  owes  allegiance  and  is  debtor — for  even  every  pulse 
that  beats  of  breath  that  is  drawn — we  are  compelled  from  the 
very  nature  of  things  to  part  company  with  such,  and  no  long- 
er hold  fellowship  with  him,  until  a  change,  at  least,  may  take 
place  in  his  moral  views,  and  feelings,  and  teachings,  if,  indeed, 
we  may  ever  hope  for  such. 


86  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Spiritualism  a  Demonstrated  Fact.     Its  General  Nature  and  Character  as 
Taught,  and  Believed,  and  Practiced,  Dissected  and  Laid  Bare. 

As  already  intimated  in  preceding  chapters,  and  plainly 
taught  in  a  public  lecture  on  the  subject,  we  believe  Spiritual- 
ism to  be  a  demonstrated  fact  or  reality.  Of  this,  there  seems 
to  us,  no  reasonable  doubt  can  exist  in  the  mind  of  any  one 
who  has  carefully  studied  the  subject  and  investigated  for  him- 
self, so  far,  at  least  as  relates  to  the  phenomena  of  Spirit  com- 
munications, per  set  and  in  the  abstract,  being  hidden,  mysteri- 
ous, superhuman  powers,  which  operate  or  act  on  the  human 
media  or  mind,  and  perform  marvellous  deeds,  and  teach  un- 
known facts — /.  e.,  to  us,  at  least — and  tread  the  dark,  intricate, 
serpentine  meanderings  of  the  past,  even  bringing  to  view  events 
in  our  own  history,  such  as  may  have  been  long  forgotten  by 
those  who  alone  once  knew  of  them. 

Of  all  this,  I  have  said,  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt. 
Hence  it  is  sheer  folly,  unjust  and  unwise,  to  cry  out  against 
it,  calling  it  "nonsense,"  "deception,"  "  jugglery,"  and  a  "stu- 
pendous fraud,"  as  many  do ;  though  we  admit  we  have  often 
seen  considerable  jugglery  going  on  in  seances  and  Spirit  circles, 
which  were  not  amusing,  as  well  as  being  disgusting  and  ridicu- 
lous. And  just  here  we  are  reminded  to  say,  we  at  one  time 
gave  ourselves  up  quite,  for  some  months,  hunting  after  Spirit- 
ualism, investigating  and  trying  to  find  out  just  what  there  was 
in  it ;  and  we  can  hardly  call  it  time  thrown  away  either,  though 
possibly  it  might  have  been  devoted  to  a  better  purpose.  We, 
however,  learned  some  things  we  had  not  known  before, 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID    BARE.  87 

among  which  were,  as  already  remarked,  that  all  is  not  jug- 
glery, for  there  is,  indeed,  too  much  positive  evidence,  however 
much  deception  and  fraud  there  may  be,  and  doubtless  is, 
mixed  with  it. 

And  however  mysterious  and  strange  the  facts,  yet  we  do 
know  that  many  of  the  signs  and  wonders  claimed  by  Spir- 
itualists do  indeed  take  place  in  hundreds  of  instances,  and  in 
hundreds  of  different  places,  and  in  the  presence  of  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  different  persons,  whose  testimony  must  be 
accepted  as  valid,  and  who  can  have  no  other  object  in  testi- 
fying to  anything  except  the  truth,  that  the  manifestations 
which  they  see  are  real  or  do  actually  take  place,  or,  at  least, 
many  of  them  do. 

But  granting  even  this  much  to  be  true,  it  does  not  follow 
necessarily  that  those  persons  who  thus  behold  "  signs  and  won- 
ders "  on  such  occasions,  must  either  accept  or  endorse  the 
claims  of  Spiritualists  generally,  concerning  the  character  or 
prime  origin  of  the  powers  which  are  thus  operated  and  are  seen 
to  manifest  themselves  on  such  occasions.  If  because,  forsooth, 
you  see  some  juggler  perform  some  slight-of-hand  trick,  or  one 
of  legerdemain,  does  it  necessarily  follow  that  you  should  be- 
lieve in  the  genuineness  of  it,  or  that  it  was  indeed  real,  simply 
because  you  do  not  quite  understand  how  it  was  done  ?  Surely 
not.  Just  so  we  find  it  in  the  matter  of  Spiritualism,  which  in 
the  main  and  in  a  certain  sense  is  the  very  head,  front,  and  tail 
of  all  jugglery,  sorcery,  legerdemain  and  necromancy,  and  the 
quintessence  itself  of  psychological  and  diabolical  occult  arts, 
which  have  been  practiced  in  any  age  of  the  world's  history, 
down  to  the  present  time.  In  our  candid  convictions,  there 
can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  of  this ;  and  we  have  studied  very 


88  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

closely  this  whole  question  for  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  century, 
and,  perhaps,  quite  as  much  as  most  persons,  not  to  have  been 
finally  led  astray  by  its  devilish  cunning  and  subtlety. 

We  might  relate  our  own  personal  experiences  and  observa- 
tions, sufficient  to  make  quite  a  volume  alone,  and  which,  to 
many  who  may  chance  to  read  this,  would  no  doubt  be  of  in- 
terest, and  perhaps  no  less  strange  than  interesting.  John,  the 
"  beloved  "  apostle,  tells  us  to  try  the  spirits,  whether  they  be  of 
God,  and  not  to  believe  all  of  them.  And  he  then  gives  us  a 
certain  test,  whereby  we  may  know  the  false  from  the  true,  or 
good  from  bad.  (See  I  John,  4.) 

In  Chapter  IV  of  this  book  we  have  given  you  the  general 
doctrines  of  Spiritualists,  as  taught  from  the  polluted  lips  of 
many  of  their  own  leading  lights,  and,  by  referring  again  to  this 
chapter,  and  then  comparing  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  his 
Apostles,  you  will  at  once  be  able  to  draw  the  line  clearly  be- 
tween Christianity  and  Spiritualism,  as  taught  and  practiced. 
And  "  by  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them." 

But  if  any  one  who  may  read  this  book  has  never  investigated 
this  dark  and  mysterious  phenomena,  in  its  many  different 
phases,  and  there  are  certainly  very  many  who  never  have — and 
far  better,  it  may  be,  if  they  never  will — but  if  they  have  any 
special  desire  to  do  so,  and  a  fit  opportunity  presents  itself,  and 
you  think  you  hare  sufficient  mind  and  will  power  to  resist  its 
insidious,  subtle  machinations  and  fiendish  influences,  there 
might,  perhaps,  be  no  great  harm  to  come  from  your  so  doing, 
and  thus  examine  it  for  yourself,  diabolical  as  it  may  be  ;  for, 
in  point  of  fact,  this  would  only  be  in  compliance  with  the 
command  of  the  Apostle,  which  we  have  already  referred  to. 
The 'Apostle  Paul  tells  us,  also,  to  prove  all  things,  but  "  hold 
fast  that  which  is  good." 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  89 

But  when  investigating,  don't  suffer  yourself  to  be  hood- 
winked, duped,  and  made  a  fool  of,  in  believing  all  you  either 
see  or  hear;  or  rather  what  you  may  even  think  you  see  and 
hear  ;  for  if  you  do,  you  will  very  soon  find  yourself  being  "led 
by  the  devil,  captive  at  his  will."  And  then,  the  next  thing 
you  will  know  is  that  you  have  become  lost ;  lost  to  quite  every- 
thing else  that  is  pure  and  good,  and  have  become  totally  blind- 
ed, both  as  to  sight  and  reason,  or  in  seeing,  hearing  and  be- 
lieving anything  else. 

Now  we  know  what  we  have  testified  to  as  being  true,  and 
true  altogether;  and  therefore  warn  you,  "as  though  it  were  a 
voice  coming,  even  as  it  were,  from  the  world  of  Spirits,"  to  take 
heed  to  what  we  have  told  you. 

The  great  question  just  here,  however,  to  be  considered,  is, 
How  shall  we  attempt  to  explain  these  psychologic  and  occult,  or 
dark  and  mysterious,  phenomena.  We  use  the  word  dark,  not 
inadvisedly,  however  impressive  it  may  sound  ;  for  all,  or  quite 
all,  the  performances  of  Spiritualists,  as  every  one  is  aware,  are 
done  in  the  dark,  for  the  very  excellent  reason,  as  we  are  to  un- 
derstand, that  their  manifestations  and  developments  will  not 
bear  the  light.  But  why  should  this  be  so?  We  infer. simply 
from  the  fact,  according  to  the  prophet  Isaiah,  8  :  20,  as  we 
have  before  quoted,  "  because  there  is  no  light  in  them." 

But  the  main  question  above,  however,  still  remains  unan- 
swered, viz,  How  are  these  things  done  ?  Can  it  be  by,  or  on 
the  principle  of,  "  animal  magnetism,"  clairvoyance  or  mesmer- 
ism, mind-reading,  or  any  other  such  or  similar  influence  exer- 
cised, or  any  other  principle  which  may  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  human  mind  or  will  ?  We  think  not ;  for  from  obser- 
vation, and  according  to  Spiritualists'  own  teachings,  and  as 


90  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

their  pretensions  also  plainly  show,  the  medium  is  controlled  by 
the  Spirits,  and  not  the  Spirits  by  the  medium,  which,  you  will 
at  once  see,  makes  a  very  marked  and  material,  not  to  say 
" Spiritual"  difference.  And  at  this  point,  it  may  be  well  to 
stop  and  reason  a  moment,  for  you  see  it  is  an  interesting 
matter,  and  carries  weight  with  it. 

All  systems  of  faith  and  unbelief,  as  we  have  already  remarked 
in  a  preceding  chapter,  should  be  met  with  rational  and  sensi- 
ble argument,  and  with  fair  and  unbiassed  criticism  ;  and  not 
with  ridicule,  simply,  nor  with  jibes,  jeers  and  sneers  ;  neither 
with  human  fear  of  the  dungeon,  the  rack,  the  faggot,  or  gibbet 
of  the  Inquisition,  such  as  once  existed  ;  the  day  for  all  these 
has  passed,  and  as  many  believe  and  hope,  never  to  return 
again.  Then  why  not  let  us  "  speak  out  like  men,"  not  for  the 
purpose  of  giving  offense  to  our  opponents,  whoever  they  may 
be,  but  let  our  purpose  be,  rather,  to  convince  them  of  error,  if 
we  indeed  know  them  to  be  in  error  ;  and  on  the  subject  which 
lies  before  us,  we  feel  assured  there  can  be  no  real  or  possible 
doubt,  which  we  hope  to  be  able  to  not  only  show,  but  clearly 
prove,  before  we  are  done  with  it.  And  our  assumptions  shall 
be  corroborated,  as  we  have  already  shown,  by  the  infallible 
Word  of  God,  and  such  Scripture  evidences  as  cannot  be  gain- 
said or  overthrown.  And  this  we  conceive  to  be  only  just 
and  fair,  in  discussing  the  subject  of  Spiritualism,  for,  as  all  are 
aware,  the  Spiritualists  themselves  have  already  organized  them- 
selves into  a  religious  sect,  and  of  course  accept  (?)  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Bible  ;  just  how  much,  and  with  what  esteem,  and 
veneration,  and  love,  and  reverence,  for  its  Divine  Author,  we 
have  already  shown  in  Chapter  V,  to  which  we  would  again  re- 
fer the  reader,  as  well  as  Chapter  IV,  on  Marriage,  Free  Love. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  91 

Socialism,  etc.;  and  Chapter  III,  also,  on  the  "  New  Christian 
Science,"  etc. 

"Let  us  then,"  says  Isaiah,  "To  the  law,  and  to  the  testi- 
mony, and  if  they,  (the  Spirits)  speak  not  according  to  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them."  And  without 
reading  or  quoting,  from  texts  and  passages  of  Scripture  in 
both  Old  and  New  Testament,  of  which  there  are  perhaps  more 
than  a  hundred,  very  many  of  which,  Spiritualists  themselves 
claim  in  proof  of  their  doctrine,  we  will  only  cite  the  reader  to 
a  few ;  and  will  here  simply  give  references,  to  which  the 
thoughtful  reader  can  turn,  under  the  head  of  Spirit  intercourse 
examined,  beginning  with  Genesis  16:  7-18;  i:  2;  19:  i; 
Numoers  22:31;  Judges  13  :  18  ;  II  Samuel  26  :  16 ;  Daniel 
3:28;  6:22;  Zachariah  i:  1954:5;  6:4;  Matthew  4:11; 
28  :  5  ;  Luke  i  :  1 1 ;  13  :  18 ;  19  :  28;  22  :  43  ;  Acts  5  :  19 ;  8  : 
c6 ;  10  :  7  ;  12  :  7-9  ;  27  :  23  ;  Rev.  i  :  i  ;  and  many  others 
which  might  be  given,  all  of  which  texts  refer  to  Angels,  or 
Spirits,  which  appeared  to  Abraham  and  his  wife,  to  Lot, 
Jacob,  Balaam,  Manoah  and  his  wife,  to  David,  to  the  He- 
brew children,  to  Daniel,  to  Zachariah,  to  Zacharias,  to  Mary, 
to  Christ,  to  women  at  the  sepulchre,  to  Peter,  Paul,  Philip, 
Cornelius,  and  to  John. 

The  above  are  claimed,  as  we  have  said,  as  texts  furnishing 
proof  of  Spirit  Manifestations.  And  just  here  we  would  ask 
the  reader,  if  it  has  ever  occurred  to  him,  that  we  are  now  liv- 
ing in  the  very  days  and  age,  as  it  were,  of  the  Prophets  and 
Apostles  of  past  history  ?  So  far,  af  least,  as  relates  to  Spirits 
and  Spiritualism,  in  their  manifestations,  with  perhaps,  this 
simple  difference,  that  in  the  present  age,  wicked  Spirits  only 
are  seen  and  manifest  themselves,  and  are  to  be  seen  everywhere, 


92  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    HARK. 

whilst  the  good  Spirits  are  nowhere  to  be  seen.  And  we  can 
only  attempt  to  explain  this,  or  how  it  is,  by  alluding  to  the 
fact,  for  we  believe  it  to  be  a  fact,  that  the  world  is  rapidly 
growing  worse,  becoming  more  ungodly,  sinful,  and  wickeder, 
than  perhaps,  it  has  ever  been  before.  We  are  aware  that  this 
is  a  very  unpopular  doctrine  for  us  to  claim  or  attempt  to  teach, 
for  it  is  directly  opposed,  and  in  contradiction  to  the  popular 
pulpit  doctrine  taught  and  preached,  as  well  as  to  the  spirit  of 
the  religious  press  generally.  But  we  know  whereof  we  testify, 
to  this,  a  veritable  truth,  for  we  have  for  the  past  quarter  of  a 
century  travelled  over  different  continents,  and  the  world  gen- 
erally, and  lived  in  different  countries,  making  this  subject, 
much  of  the  time,  our  special  study ;  nor  have  our  eyes  and 
ears  been  closed  from  seeing  and  hearing  the  ovtgushings  of 
vile  corruption,  and  the  most  desperate  wickedness,  perpetrated 
continually,  day  by  day,  and  night  after  night,  every  moment, « 
every  hour,  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Christendom, 
such  as  would  seem  could  only  originate,  and  be  concocted 
and  enacted,  by  fiends  from  the  bottomless  pit ;  even  in  this, 
our  own  fair  land  and  country,  and  such  scenes,  too,  as  would 
even  make  the  most  benighted  heathen,  even  cannibals  and 
Hottentots,  hide  their  faces,  and  blush  for  shame. 

If  any  one  denies  these  things,  we  think  it  only  necessary 
to  refer  him  to  a  single  city — and  it  matters  but  little  which  one 
— possibly  the  very  town  or  city  in  which  he  lives  may  be  taken 
to  illustrate,  as  well  as  any  other ;  and  if  he  will  only  search 
through  its  purlieus  and  vil£  dens  of  infamy,  he  will  very  prob- 
ably soon  see  sights  enough  and  learn  of  deeds  such  as  will 
make  it  "  more  tolerable  for  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  in  the  day 
of  judgment "  than  for  his  own  beautiful  and  flourishing  city, 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  93 

with  elite  society,  and  its  millionaires  of  untold  wealth,  and  with 
its  fair  name. 

But  we  need  hardly  take  time  here,  nor  is  it  just  the  place, 
in  this  short  treatise,  to  prove  further  our  declarations,  however 
lamentable  the  facts  may  seem,  and  sad  the  contemplation,  in 
this  Christian  land  of  ours.  Some  who  read  this,  however, 
may  feel  a  desire  to  press  the  subject  a  little  further,  and  ask  for 
even  a  single  factor  that  is  leading  to  the  above  results ;  and  we 
will  give  one,  and  the  very  one,  indeed,  which  we  believe  to  be 
greatest  of  all,  though  it  has  its  auxiliaries ;  and  that  is,  the  ac- 
tual existence  of  the  subject  before  us,  with  its  baneful  influences 
and  results,  viz  :  Modern  Spiritualism  and  its  concomitants, 
under  the  shape  or  form  it  has  now  assumed  and  is  still  daily 
developing  into,  the  verity  of  which  we  may  be  better  able  to 
show  as  we  pass  on. 

But  to  return  again  to  the  passages  of  Scripture  already  re- 
ferred to,  and  which,,  as  we  have  seen,  are  claimed  by  Spiritual- 
ists who  do  not  entirely  ignore  the  Bible  and  its  teachings,  as 
being  in  support  of  their  doctrines.  And  just  here  we  will  ex- 
amine a  little  further  and  see  whether  or  not,  on  applying  the 
touchstone,  their  claims  are  indeed  tangible  and  well  established? 
and  so  made  quite  clear  to  our  understanding.  And  we  shall 
undertake  to  prove  that  they  cannot  be,  because  there  is  no 
proof  from  Scripture  teaching,  either  in  the  Old  or  New  Testa- 
ment, from  the  beginning  of  Genesis  to  the  end  of  Revela- 
tions, of  the  doctrine  which  Spiritualists  uphold,  and  upon  which 
their  whole  "  fabric  of  a  baseless  vision "  is  founded ;  but 
bare  assumption,  unsupported  by  Scripture  evidence,  that  any 
of  these  Angels  or  Spirits  referred  to  were  ever  Spirits  who 
once  inhabited  mortal  bodies.  It  cannot  be  proven  that  they 


94  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

were  ever  in  the  flesh.  And  if  Spiritualists  want  to  undertake 
ta  prove  by  any  other  teachings  than  those  of  the  Bible  that 
they  ever  were,  we  will  again  cheerfully  hand  over  the  laboring 
oar  and  let  them  handle  it  to  their  full  content. 

On  the  contrary,  however,  it  can  be  proven  that  there  is  an 
order  of  higher  intelligences — beings  who  were  created  and  are 
constantly  employed  in  the  service  of  their,  and  our,  Creator, 
God,  and,  in  obedience  to  his  holy  commands,  carrying  mes- 
sages from  heaven  to  earth,  and  performing  acts  at  the  behest 
of  God  for  mortals  here  below,  whilst  tabernacling  in  the  flesh. 
This,  we  have  said,  the  Scriptures  abundantly  teach. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  95 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Being  a  continuation  of  Chapter  XIV. 

WE  have  stated  in  the  preceding  chapter,  that  these  higher 
intelligences,  known  as  Angels,  or  Spirits  from  the  heavenly 
world,  appeared  as  men,  unto  men  and  women,  and  not  only 
thus  appeared  in  bodily  form,  but  also  ate  and  drank  likewise. 
Modern  Spiritualists,  however,  have  not  quite  gone  so  far  as 
this,  we  believe,  yet ;  though  it  will  be  perhaps  about  the  next 
marvelous  feat  that  they  will  accomplish  at  their  materializing 
seances,  for  such  things  are  said  to  have  actually  occurred  in 
the  days  of  the  French  Revolution,  a  century  ago,  for  well  au- 
thenticated history  informs  us,  that  Spirits  in  those  days  were 
not  only  produced,  but  "  actually  brought  forward  and  seated 
at  the  table,  and  did  eat  with  kings  and  emperors/'  And  as 
past  history  is  only  repeating  itself  from  day  to  day,  and  will 
doubtless  so  continue  till  the  end  of  the  world,  which  we  be- 
lieve is  not  far  distant,  why  should  not  the  same  startling,  and 
wonderful,  and  most  extraordinary  things,  soon  occur  again 
even  in  this,  our  own  land,  such  as  occurred  in  those  days  of 
the  French  Revolution  ? 

And  just  here,  it  may  not,  and  doubtless  will  not,  be  unin- 
teresting to  the  reader,  to  briefly  refer  to  some  of  the  scenes,  at 
least,  enacted  in  those  days. 

History,  informs  us,  that  it  was  not  enough  for  this  regenerate, 
or  degenerate  nation,  to  have  dethroned  earthly  kings,  without 
also  stretching  out  the  arm  of  defiance  towards  those  Powers, 
which  superstition  had  represented  as  reigning  over  boundless 


g6  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

space.  The  constitutional  Bishop  of  Paris  was  brought  for- 
ward to  play  the  principal  part  of  the  most  impudent  and  scan- 
dalous farce  ever  enacted  in  the  face  of  a  National  representa- 
tion, even  to  declare  to  the  Convention  a  PRIESTCRAFT,  which 
had  no  foundation  in  either  history  or  sacred  truth. 

He  disowned  in  solemn  and  explicit  terms,  the  EXISTENCE 
OF  THE  DEITY,  to  whose  worship  he  had  been  consecrated, 
and  therefore  devoted  himself,  in  future,  to  the  homage  of 
LIBERTY,  EQUALITY,  VIRTUE,  and  MORALITY.  He  then  laid 
on  the  table  his  Episcopal  decorations,  and  received  a  most 
cordial  embrace  from  the  President  of  the  Convention. 

Several  other  apostate  priests  followed  the  example  of  this 
prelate.  And  now,  the  world  for  the  first  time  heard  an  assem- 
bly of  men,  born  and  educated  in  civilization,  and  assuming  the 
right  to  govern  one  of  the  finest  European  nations,  uplift  their 
united  voices  to  DENY  the  most  solemn  truth  which  man's  soul 
can  receive ;  and  RENOUNCE  UNANIMOUSIY  MM  nin 
WORSHIP  OF  DEITY.  Intimately  connected  with  this  wonderful 
change  in  the  religious  as  well  as  political  aspect  of  the  govern- 
ment, was  that  regarding  the  sacred  compact  of  marriage.  '*  And 
if  fiends,"  the  historian  tells  us,  "  had  set  themselves  at  work 
to  discover  a  mode  of  destroying  whatever  is  venerable,  grace- 
ful, or  good  and  permanent,  in  domestic  life,  and  obtained  at 
the  same  time  an  assurance  that  the  mischief  which  it  was  their 
object  to  create  should  be  from  one  generation  to  another,  they 
could  not  have  invented  a  more  effectual  plan  than  the  degra- 
dation of  marriage  into  a  state  of  mere  occasional  cohabitation, 
or  licensed  concubinage. 

A  celebrated  actress,  famous  for  her  wit,  facetiously  described 
the  republican  marriage  as  "the  sacrament  of  adultery.''  To 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  97 

the  above  was  added  the  following  sentiments  :  "  The  fear  of 
God  is  so  far  from  being  the  beginning  of  wisdom  that  it  is  the 
beginning  of  folly.  Modesty  is  only  an  invention  of  refined  vo- 
luptuousness. The  Supreme  KING,  the  God  of  the  Jews  and  the 
Christians,  is  but  a  phantom.  Jesus  Christ  is  an  impostor." 

Another  writer  says  :  "  August  26,  1792,  an  open  profession  of 
Atheism  was  made  by  the  National  Convention  and  correspond- 
ing Societies,  and  Atheistical  clubs  were  everywhere  fearlessly 
held  in  the  French  nation.  Then  followed  the  Reign  of  Terror, 
and  massacres  the  most  horrid.  The  public  declaration  was 
that  "  God  does  not  exist."  The  Bible  was  publicly  burned ; 
the  Sacramental  vessels  were  paraded  through  the  streets  on  an 
ass,  in  token  of  contempt.  The  Sabbath  was  abolished,  and 
death  was  declared  in  conspicuous  letters,  posted  over  their 
burial  places,  to  be  an  "eternal  sleep."  But  the  crowning 
blasphemy,  if  these  orgies  of  hell  permit  of  degrees,  remained 
to  be  performed  by  a  famous  comedian,  Mouvel,  who  as  a 
priest  of  "  illuminism,"  said  :  u  God,  if  you  exist,  avenge  your 
injured  name  :  I  bid  you  defiance  !  You  remain  silent ;  you 
dare  not  launch  your  thunders.  Who,  after  this,  will  believe  in 
your  existence?"  Some  of  the  above  wonderful  sentiments  have 
already  been  given  in  Chapter-VI,  as  coming  directly  from  the 
lips  of  leading  Spiritualists,  from  which  it  seems  that  they  have 
caught  the  greater  part  of  their  Spiritual  inspiration  from  a  care- 
ful study  of  French  revolutionary  History,  and  of  Voltaire,  its 
great  progenitor,  who  first  sowed  the  seeds  which  afterwards  pro- 
duced their  legitimate  results. 

This  bold  blasphemer  and  avowed  infidel,  m  his  most  wanton 
self-conceit  and  egotism,  had  said:  "I  am  weary  of  hearing  peo- 
ple repeat  that  *  twelve  men  established  the  Christian  religion.' 


98  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

I  will  prove  that  one  man  may  suffice  to  overthrow  it."  And 
then,  associating  with  himself  such  men  as  Rousseau,  D'Alem- 
bert,  Diderot,  and  others,  he  undertook  it,  with  what  success 
succeeding  generations  have  already  learned. 

They  sowed  to  the  wind,  and  the  French  nation  afterwards 
reaped  the  whirlwind,  which  culminated  in  the  French  Revolu- 
tion of  1793,  when  the  Bible  was  discarded,  the  Goddess  of 
Reason  enthroned  in  the  form  of  a  notorious  dancing  girl, 
having  been  brought  before  the  Convention  with  a  band  of  mu- 
sic in  solemn  procession,  when  her  veil  was  withdrawn  from 
over  her  entire  person,  leaving  her  in  a  perfect  state  of  nudity, 
whilst  she  was  embraced  by  the  President  of  the  Assembly,  and 
then  installed  The  Goddess  of  Reason,  Liberty,  Equality,  Vir- 
tue and  Morality,  the  very  sentiments  of  which  were  trai  9- 
posed  in  such  a  manner  as  to  mean  the  very  opposite  of  their 
purport,  as  they  were  now  inculcated  and  put  into  execution. 
Does  it  require  any  very  vivid  imagination  to  apply  the  forego- 
ing, as  it  relates  to  the  French  Revolution,  in  comparison  with 
Modern  Spiritualism  and  its  kindred  scions,  viz  :  Anarchists, 
Communists,  Socialists,  Free  Lovers,  etc.,  and  as  taught  and 
practiced  by  them  ? 

But  to  return  again  more  directly  to  the  subject  now  before 
us.  As  we  have  already  observed  in  a  preceding  chapter,  many 
of  these  angels  which  were  seen,  and  by  some  at  times  supposed 
to  be  Spirits,  not  only  showed  themselves  in  bodily  form,  such 
as  men  showing  themselves  to  men,  but  also,  in  some  instances, 
eating  and  talking  as  men. 

In  Exodus  1 6  14,  the  Lord  told  Moses  he  would  rain  bread 
from  heaven  ;  and  David,  in  Psalm  78  :  25,  tells  us  "  it  was 
Angels'  food,"  so  that  we  may  infer  they  fed  upon  manna  in 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID   BARE.  99 

heaven.  We  read  that  two  men  appeared  to  Peter,  James,  and 
John  at  the  transfiguration  on  the  Mount,  which  were  Moses 
and  Elias,  talking  with  Christ.  Were  these  disembodied  Spir- 
its ?  Not  a  word  is  said  ab*>ut  there  being  two  Spirits  appear- 
ing between  or  accompanied  by  two  mediums.  Will  some 
Spiritualists  explain  how  about  this  ?  Spiritualists,  who  deny 
the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  we  know  they  do,  can  hardly 
be  expected  to  believe  that  these  two  men,  if  they  were  indeed 
physically  present,  /'.  £.,  in  the  body,  must  have  been  raised  from 
the  dead,  just  as  Christ  was,  and  just  as  he  raised  Lazarus  and 
others.  We  also  read  that  Elijah  went  up  to  heaven  bodily  in 
a  whirlwind  ;  and  Jude  tells  us  that  Michael,  the  Archangel, 
when  contending  with  the  devil,  disputed  about  the  body  of 
Moses,  which  should  be  evidence  sufficient  that  Moses  was 
raised  from  the  dead,  for  we  can  hardly  suppose  that  Satan 
would  have  made  a  fuss  about  the  burial  of  Moses  ;  for  if  he 
could  have  his  own  way  about  it,  he,  no  doubt,  would  have  had 
Moses  buried  long  years  before  he  was.  But  it  was  the  body 
he  wanted,  and  it  is  the  most  reasonable  thing  imaginable  that 
he  would  have  raised  a  row  over  any  attempt  to  raise  Moses 
from  the  dead,  as  he,  the  devil,  then  had  power  over  the  grave, 
and  held  that  power  till  Christ  carne,  and  abolished  it  by  his 
own  resurrection.  The  reader,  we  think,  can  plainly  see  how 
this  was. 

In  the  commencement  of  the  preceding  chapter  we  clearly 
stated  we  believe  Spiritualism  to  be  a  demonstrated  fact  or 
reality.  This  we  have  cheerfully  conceded,  for  the  reason  that 
there  are  some  things  connected  with  the  manifestations  of  this 
mysterious  phenomenon  that  are  not  only  strange,  but  quite  as 
difficult  to  understand  as  they  are  strange ;  and  some  of  them, 


100  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

indeed,  are  no  more  easily  explained,  or  even  any  better  under- 
stood, by  Spiritualists  themselves,  or  the  mediums  who  pretend 
to  practice  the  occult  art,  than  they  are  by  the  sceptic  or  cas- 
ual observer  at  one  of  their  seances.  This  every  candid  or 
truthful  Spiritualist  is  bound  to  admit.  But,  granting  this 
much,  as  we  do,  and  as  they  themselves  have  to,  does  it  still 
follow  that  we  must  accept  that  which  neither  we  nor  they  un- 
derstand, simply  because  we  see  manifestations  ?  Surely  not  ! 
No  more,  indeed,  than  we  are  bound  to  accept  their  teachings 
— that  disembodied  human  spirits,  or  spirits  which  once  inhab- 
ited human  bodies  here,  do,  indeed,  return  to  earth  again.  And 
this  we  have  already  denied  in  such  unequivocal  terms  in  Chap- 
ter IX,  as  leave  no  room  for  doubt  as  to  the  grounds  we  take  ; 
and  we  again  challenge  Spiritualists  to  produce  the  evidences 
such  as  are  tangible  and  irrefragable ;  and  now  let  them  do 
this  in  the  light  of  open  day,  or  bright,  artificial  light,  and  then 
we  will  grant  that  they  have  gained  their  point  and  vindicated 
their  claims  by  clearly  establishing  what  they  teach,  and  we  will 
agree  to  hold  no  further  controversy  with  them  on  the  subject. 
And  until  they  shall  have  done  this,  we  shall  most  assuredly 
continue  to  believe,  and  shall  ever  maintain,  that  they,  the 
Spirits  through  the  mediums,  do  lie — wilfully,  feloniously,  and 
with  prepense — and  that  it  is  because  "  there  is  no  truth  in 
them."  • 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  IOI 


CHAPTER 

Influences  of  Spiritualism  on  the  Human  Mind,  and  What  it  Leads  to  in 
its  Final  Results. 

No  subject,  perhaps,  since  the  creation  of  man,  upon  which 
the  human  mind  has  been  agitated,  has  ever  exercised  so  bane- 
ful an  influence  over  its  unfortunate  victims  as  that  of  Spirit- 
ualism. It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  a  very  large  number,  if  not, 
indeed,  a  majority,  of  those  who  have  been  won  over  to  this 
subtle  and  insidious  occult  art,  and  who  have  become  staunch 
adherents  to  its  doctrines,  and  continue  to  follow  it  up  for  any 
considerable  time,  have  either  committed  self-destruction, 
doubtless  from  remorse  at  their  misdeeds,  or  lost  their  mind 
and  reason  in  a  great  degree,  or,  indeed,  many  of  them  have 
become  totally  insane,  and  therefore  fit  subjects  for  lunatic 
asylums.  Whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  of  those  who  have  re- 
tained their  mental  faculties,  many  have  become  sunken  so 
low  in  the  scale  of  morals,  that  they  have  become  addicted  to 
every  species  of  vice  and  crime  and  degradation,  such  as  em- 
braces and  fills  up  the  whole  catalogue  of  evil  doing,  the  very 
character  of  which  may  be  readily  identified  with  the  two-horned 
beast  described  in  the  Book  of  Revelations,  16:  13,  14,  which 
speaks  of  "  the  spirit  of  devils  working  miracles,"  etc.  Hence 
Spiritualism  and  its  adherents  plainly  bear  these  marks  of  Sa- 
tanic agency. 

The  doctrines  which  they  teach  are  from  the  lowest  and 
foulest  depths  of  the  pit  of  lies.  They  deny  God.  They 
deny  Christ.  They  deny  the  Atonement.  They  deny  the  Bi- 
ble. They  deny  the  very  existence  of  sin,  and  all  distinc- 


102  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

tion  between  right  and  wrong.  They  deny  the  sacredness  of 
the  marriage  covenant. 

But  in  order  to  make  this  chapter  as  brief  as  may  be,  we 
will  refer  the  reader  back  again  to  Chapter  V,  that  the  leading 
Spiritualists  may  be  heard  to  speak  for  themselves  on  the  sub- 
ject of  Spiritualism  and  Spirits'  teaching,  as  viewed  by  them- 
selves. We  sometimes  hear  it  said  that  Spiritualism  is  un- 
worthy of  notice  ;  that  it  is  only  a  silly  delusion,  of  little  conse- 
quence, etc. 

But  this  is  a  great  mistake  and  a  grave  error,  to  attempt  to 
dispose  of  a  question  of  such  vital  importance  and  magnitude 
so  lightly  ;  for  little  as  some  may  think  of  the  subject,  it  is,  in- 
deed, making  more  converts  to  its  dreadful  teachings  every  day 
and  every  year  than  all  other  sects  of  religionists  combined,  or 
all  the  churches  in  the  land  together. 

Its  votaries  might  be  numbered  by  the  millions,  among 
whom  are  some  of  the  most  intelligent,  educated,  and  refined 
in  our  land  ;  and,  we  might  also  add,  some  of  the  most  de- 
graded, infamous,  and  vile  that  have  ever  escaped  the  waHs  of 
the  State's  prison  or  the  hangman's  halter.  Need  we,  then,  won- 
der as  to  what  the  final  results  of  such  associations  will  be  ? 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  103 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

The  Divinity  of  Christ.  His  Resurrection,  Miracles,  etc.,  Viewed  from  a 
Christian  Standpoint,  in  Contradistinction  with  Spiritualism  and  its 
False  Teachings. 

IN  commencing  this  short  chapter,  we  need  hardly  remind 
the  reader  that  Christianity,  as  believed  and  taught  by  Jesus 
himself,  is  of  no  modern  origin  or  new  thing,  and  is  not  there- 
fore contending  for  a  foothold  on  the  earth.  Even  before  this 
earth  of  ours  was  made,  or  even  the  light  separated  from  the 
darkness,  and  all  was  chaos,  even  then  was  Christ,  the  son  of 
the  living  God,  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father. 

And  when  he,  YEHOVIH-ELOHIM,  addressed  himself  to  the 
pleasing  task  of  making  this  planet  of  ours  a  fit  dwelling  place 
for  man,  in  bringing  order  out  of  chaos,  and  said,  "  Let  us 
make  man"  it  was  to  his  only  begotten  Son  that  he  thus  spake. 
And  man  came  forth  from  the  lifeless  clay,  fashioned  in  the 
likeness  of  God  the  Father,  and  God  the  Son,  "  into  whose  nos- 
trils God  breathed  the  breath  of  life,  and  he  became  a  living  soul." 

In  this  we  behold  the  display  of  the  knowledge,  and  wisdom, 
and  mighty  power  of  God ;  and  here  we  behold  Man,  the  no- 
blest work  of  his  creation,  in  his  dual  or  twofold  nature,  viz,  body 
and  soul.  First,  the  body  was  moulded  or  fashioned  from  the 
dust  or  earth,  simply  a  lifeless  form,  and  a  receptacle  ready  for 
life  and  animation  ;  and  then  God  gave  him  the  breath  of  life^ 
and  he  now  became  a  living  soul ;  and  hence  this  body  and 
soul,  now  united,  composed  the  two  natures  or  divisions  of  sen- 
sation and  appetite,  or  animal  and  sensitive  parts. 

But  man's  creation  was  not  yet  complete,  nor  did  God  stop 


104  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

here,  else  man  would  have  remained  simply  a  mere  living  ma- 
chine, with  a  body  and  life  only,  and  therefore  but  little  else 
than  an  automaton,  and  not  a  single  degree  above  the  brute 
creation,  except  so  far  as  his  human  form  was  concerned ;  not 
to  say  human  nature,  too. 

But  the  third  and  crowning  act  of  man's  perfection  in  his 
creation  was,  that  God  gave  him  mind,  reasoning  faculties,  even 
wisdom  and  knowledge,  thought  and  speech  ;  and  then  it  was  a 
perfect  creature,  in  the  similtude  of  God,  his  Creator;  and  hence 
his  tri-partite  or  threefold  nature,  in  full  possession  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  or  essence,  efflux,  as  it  came  from  God  in  this,  as  it  were, 
his  re-generation.  And  now,  we  see,  he  could  not  only  think 
for  himself,  but  could  even  walk  with  God,  and  commune  and 
talk  with  him. 

Here,  it  will  be  seen,  we  have  very  briefly,  but  pointedly,  out- 
lined man's  origin;  and  without  dwelling  at  great  length  on  this 
most  interesting  subject,'  which  is  productive  of  such  deep 
thought,  we  trust  the  foregoing  will  be  sufficient  to  enable  the 
reader  to  at  least  comprehend  our  views  ;  and  as  man  therefore 
was  created  in  his  completeness  in  the  likeness  of  his  Creator, 
and  as  Christ  the  Son  was  also  the  express  image  of  the  Fath- 
er, and  was  with  him  at  the  creation  of  earth  and  of  man,  we 
therefore  see,  as  already  remarked  at  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter,  that  Christ  and  the  Christian  religion  is  no  new  thing, 
but  its  roots  have  already  penetrated  deep  into  the  soil,  and  its 
mighty  power  and  energizing  influence  has  long  been  felt,  and 
is  still  being  felt,  and  must  so  continue,  till  time  itself  shall 
cease  in  the  final  consummation  and  closing  up  of  all  terrestrial 
scenes. 

And  then  it  will  continue  to  go  on  through  the  never-ending 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  105 

ages  of  eternity  just  the  same,  though  all  the  forces  of  Scepti- 
cism, Infidelity,  Modern  Science  (so  called),  Socialism,  or  Spir- 
itualism, and  all  other  Satanic  powers  of  earth  and  hell,  com- 
bine to  overthrow  it,  or  quench  its  onward  course. 

The  Bible  comes  to  us  as  a  Book  of  Revelation,  handed 
down  from  God,  its  Author,  and  Creator  of  all  things.  It 
moreover  claims  to  be  given  by  inspiration  of  Him  to  man. 
It  is  the  oldest,  well-authenticated  history  of  which  the  world 
has  any  knowledge  today.  And  the  redemption  of  man  and 
his  future  salvation,  as  founded  on  the  birth,  the  life,  the  death 
and  resurrection,  is  taught  throughout  its  pages,  from  the  be- 
ginning of  Genesis  to  the  end  of  Revelations. 

And  to  establish  its  teachings  and  perpetuate  its  claims  has 
cost  the  spilling  of  the  blood  of  millions  of  the  best  men  and 
women  that  have  ever  lived  upon  earth.  And  this,  too,  alas ! 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  has  been  caused  in  thousands  of  in* 
stances,  not  by  the  enemies  of  Christianity,  per  se,  as  it  would 
seem,  not  by  relentless  tyrants  and  human  monsters  only,  who 
were  arrayed  in  opposition  to  its  promotion  and  establishment, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  by  those  who  were  its  professed  followers, 
through  ignorance,  bigotry,  and  a  mistaken  zeal  for  its  cause, 
as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  placing  themselves  at  the  head  of 
the  Church,  wearing  the  surplice  and  pontifical  robe,  and  thus 
showing  themselves  to  the  world,  that  they  were,  and  are,  the 
Anti-Christs  foretold  by  Christ  himself  and  his  Apostles,  as  those 
who  should  come  into  the  world  even  in  these  last  days,  as  well 
as  in  ages  past. 

Of  the  divinity  as  well  as  humanity  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord,  Scripture  teachings  throughout  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment prophecies  and  revelations  are  so  clear,  and  pointed,  and 


106  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

conclusive  that  we  need  only  say  to  the  caviller  or  sceptic  and 
infidel  that  any  arguments  to  substantiate  these  proofs  that 
might  here  be  given  further,  would  indeed  be  folly  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  very  probably  time — of  which  we  have  none  to 
spare — lost,  and  can  therefore  only  further  add,  just  here  in 
this  connection,  that  if  they— the  Atheists,  Deists,  Sceptics, 
Infidels,  Spiritualists,  etc. — will  not  accept  the  word  of  God 
and  his  prophets,  and  the  teachings  of  Christ  himself,  and  his 
Apostles  in  earlier  times,  not  to  mention  the  present,  "  the 
not  believe  even  though  one  might  arise  from  the  dead." 

We  have  revealed  to  us,  who  do  and  will  believe  in  this 
sacred  volume,  that  the  immaculate  and  miraculous  conception 
and  birth  of  our  Saviour  did  take  place,  and  at  the  very  tune 
W&&  place  and  in  the  manner  foretold  by  holy  prophets  cf  old, 
even  thousands  of  years  before  the  time  it  did  occur ;  that  he 
grew  up  to  manhood  ;  that  he  preached  the  true  word  and  ful- 
filment of  prophecies  that  had  been  long  foretold,  both  of  past 
ages,  the  present,  and  of  things  which  are  yet  to  come  to  pass. 

That  he  accomplished  his  mission  and  commission,  for  which 
he  was  sent  by  his  Father,  and  our  Father  and  God,  no  R 
able  or  sensible  question  of  doubt  can  possibly  arise  in  the 
minds  of  intelligent,  sane  men  and  women,  who  have  not  been 
given  wholly  over  to  Satan  to  believe  his  lies,  that  they  might 
be  damned. 

That  he,  Christ,  did  perform  miracles  innumerable,  and  the 
most  wonderful  that  can  possibly  be  conceived  of  in  a  brain  of 
the  most  fertile  and  vivid  imagination,  even  to  the  actual 
raising  of  the  dead  and  decomposed  body  of  man  to  life  and 
health  again,  after  having  lain  for  four  days  in  the  grave,  and 
when  decomposition  in  the  lifeless  clay  had  already  taken 
place. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  107 

This  we  have  referred  to  as  a  single  instance  recorded.  Of 
other  almost  as  wonderful  and  miraculous  manifestations  of 
Divine  and  Almighty  power,  which  are  recorded  and  corrobor- 
ated by  eye-witnesses,  are  more  than  we  can  here  find  space  to 
refer  to,  substantiated  by  the  testimony,  too,  of  such  witnesses 
as  would  be  taken  as  prima  facie  evidence  in  any  of  the  judicial 
courts  of  our  own  country. 

That  he  was  afterwards  betrayed,  even  by  those  same  disci- 
ples who  afterwards  testified  of  all  these  things  ;  was  offered 
up  a  sacrifice  for  sin ;  that  he  died  upon  the  cross  the  igno- 
minious death  of  a  malefactor ;  that  his  body  was  taken  down 
and  buried  in  such  a  way  and  under  such  circumstances  that 
there  can  arise  no  dispute  that  after  it  had  so  laid  in  the  bolted 
and  barred  tomb,  which  had  been  hewn  out  of  solid  rock,  and 
closely  guarded  by  a  cordon  of  Roman  soldiers  for  three  days 
and  nights,  he — the  SON  OF  GOD — burst  those  strong  bars  of 
death,  and  did  again  arise  from  its  cold  embrace,  and  did  come 
forth  and  show  himself  immediately,  and  for  forty  days  after- 
wards, unto  many,  even  hundreds  at  one  time;  that  he  again 
walked,  and  talked,  and  ate,  and  drank  like  other  men  in  mor- 
tal flesh. 

And  at  last,  as  the  great  crowning  act  of  all,  he  again  ascend- 
ed up  to  heaven,  from  whence  he  came  in  the  presence  of  liv- 
ing witnesses,  among  whom  were  those  same  disciples  (all  save 
one)  who  had  once  betrayed  him,  and  who  afterwards  sealed 
their  own  lives  with  their  blood  for  writing,  teaching,  and  testi- 
fying of  these  things.  Is  there  anything  more  wanting  ?  Or 
can  anything  more  be  said  ?  We  think  not. 


108  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Age  in  Which  we  Live,  Viewed  in  the  Light  of  Prophecy  and  its 
Closing  Scenes. 

WE  are  living  in  an  eventful  age,  an  age  of  wonders,  and  the 
prophecies  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  Scriptures  clearly 
teach  that  we  are  living  indeed  in  the  very  last  days  or  yKons 
of  the  world,  or  of  this  Gospel  dispensation.  And  the  very 
things  which  Christ  and  his  Apostles  warned  us  against,  are 
indeed  even  upon  us  now,  but  alas  !  we  are  too  blind  to  see  and 
too  deaf  to  hear  them,  but  they  are  manifestly  clear  to  every 
careful  student  of  the  Bible,  and  the  end  to  their  fulfilment  is 
rapidly  drawing  near. 

It  is  only  necessary  for  us  to  turn  to  Paul's  second  letter  to 
the  Thessalonians,  and  i  Timothy  4,  and  II  Timothy  3,  as 
well  as  to  Matthew  24,  and  lastly  Revelations  16 ;  and  read 
carefully,  to  satisfy  the  mind  of  any  intelligent  person  who  is 
not  a  sceptic  or  infidel,  etc,  as  to  just  what  age  we  are  living 
in,  and  as  to  the  things  which  lie  immediately  before  us. 

In  Matthew  24,  the  Savior  tells  his  disciples :  "  There  shall 
arise  false  Christs  and  false  prophets,  and  they  shall  show  great 
signs  and  wonders,  insomuch  that,  if  it  were  possible,  they 
would  deceive  the  very  elect." 

And  John  the  Revelator  tells  us,  (Chapter  16:13-14),  he 
saw  "  three  unclean  spirits,"  to  which  we  have  already  referred, 
and  he  also  tells  us  "  they  are  the  spirits  of  devils  working  mir- 
acles," etc.  The  Apostle  Paul  also  informs  us,  in  one  of  the 
passages  here  referred  to,  of  a  certain  class,  having  a  form  of 
Godliness,  but  who  deny  the  power  thereof,  and  adds : 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  109 

"  From  such  turn  away."  "  For  this  sort,"  says  he,  as  we 
have  mentioned  in  a  preceding  chapter,  "  are  they,  which  creep 
into  houses  and  lead  captive  silly  women  laden  with  sins,  led 
away  with  divers  lusts,  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to  come 
to  a  knowledge  of  the  truth." 

And  as  we  have  already  observed  before,  surely  Modern 
Spiritualism  could  not  be  described  more  plainly  than  this;  and 
knowing  this  as  the  Spiritualists  do,  need  we  wonder  that  they 
should  curse  Paul  and  Christ  and  all  his  Apostles  and  Pro- 
phets ?  True  it  is,  just  as  Paul  expresses  it,  SOME  among  them 
at  least,  are  EVER  LEARNING  and  even  number  many  of  the 
learned  of  the  age  among  their  believers  ;  and  whilst  they  pro- 
fess and  pretend  to  dive  down  deep  in  the  arts  and  sciences 
and  penetrate  even  into  the  most  secret  recesses  of  the  hidden 
mysteries  of  the  earth  beneath  and  of  the  heavens  above,  and 
mount  up  in  their  lofty  imagination,  as  it  were  on  eagles'  wings, 
till  they  penetrate  even  the  very  veil  of  futurity,  and  look  into 
the  Spirit  world,  and  there  claim  to  behold  the  secret  things  of 
God,  and  contemplate  the  far-off  planets  and  their  inhabitants. 

And  then  again,  returning  to  this  mundane  or  terrestrial 
sphere  of  ours,  they  undertake  to  solve  the  problem  not  only 
of  human  and  animal  existence,  maintaining  that  all  have  sim- 
ply been  evolved  from  the  mollusk  or  protoplasm,  and  therefore 
never  was  created,  or  made,  and  that  the  Creator,  God  himself, 
is  only  an  imaginary  being,  and  therefore  only  dwells  in  the 
foolish  imaginations  of  the  disordered  minds  of  those  who  be- 
lieve inliim,  or  if  there  be  any  such  a  being,  he  is  simply  a 
fraud  and  a  cheat. 

They  also  attempt  or  undertake  to  solve  the  various 
sciences,  such  as  Electricity,  that  great  vicegerent  of  God, 


110  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    J;.\KI. 

which  moves  the  whole  universe,  Philosophy,  Physiology 
chology,  Mental   Science,  Medical,    Magnetic,  Mathematical, 
Political,  and  lastly,  but  not  least,  Spiritual  Science. 

And  yet,  with  all  these  things,  not  one  of  them  has  ever  been 
able  to  come  to  the  light,  or  to  see  the  truth  as  it  is  in  JESUS 
CHRIST  OUR  LORD,  or  even  to  believe  the  Bible,  much  less  in 
the  name  of  its  divine  Author.  The  Apostle  Paul  also  adds  : 
Now,  as  Jannds  and  Jambres  withstood  Moses,  so  DO  Tin  si; 
ALSO  RESIST  THE  TRUTH."  O,  Shame,  where  is  thy  blush  ! 
Oh,  how  sad  to  contemplate  such  a  religion  as  this,  in  this  en- 
lightened age ! 

But  how  did  Janncs  and  Jambrcs  withstand  Moses  ?  We 
read  in  Exodus,  7  and  8,  that  when  Aaron,  Moses'  brother  and 
spokesman,  cast  his  rod  down,  and  it  became  a  serpent,  so  did 
the  magicians  cast  theirs  down  also,  and  they  became  serpents 
likewise. 

And  as  he  stretched  his  rod  out  over  the  rivers,  and  the  wa- 
ter became  blood,  so  did  these  magicians  in  like  manner  turn 
the  water  into  blood.  And  when  he  brought  up  frogs  out  of 
the  river  till  they  covered  the  land,  so  did  the  magicians  of 
Pharaoh  also. 

The  reader  will  here  no  doubt  remember  our  having  called 
attention  to  these  particular  miracles  in  Chapter  XI,  to  which 
we  have  reverted  for  the  purpose  of  refreshing  the  mind  on  this 
interesting  subject ;  and  thus  we  sec  that  what  those  magicians 
had  accomplished  was  not  in  debate  with  Moses  and  Aaron, 
nor  in  personal  enounter  with  weapons  of  any  kind  in  withstand- 
ing them,  but  simply  by  imitation  of  what  they  saw  Aaron  do, 
or,  as  it  reads,  "  And  the  magicians  did  so  with  their  enchant- 
ments, and  brought  up  frogs  upon  the  land  of  Egypt." 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE,  III 

And  so  do  Spiritualists  today,  as  we  have  stated  in  a  preced- 
ing chapter,  imitate  the  practices  of  the  Church,  at  least  so  far 
as  it  practices  the  teachings  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles  while 
on  earth ;  which,  alas,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  might  be  done  even 
more  and  better. 

For  who  can  name  the  Church  today,  out  of  more  than  one 
thousand  different  sects  and  denominations,  each  claiming  to  be 
the  TRUE  CHURCH,  that  does  teach,  and  preach,  and  practice  as 
CHRIST  and  his  APOSTLES  commanded,  and  taught,  and  prac- 
ticed? If  there  is  one  who  reads  this  book  who  knows  of  such 
a  Church,  and  belongs  to  it,  let  him  hold  up  his  hand,  and  tell 
us  which  it  is.  Here  we  add  a  little  anecdote,  which  will  not, 
we  trust,  be  regarded  as  mat-apropos. 

The  story,  goes,  that  after  the  late  War  of  the  Rebellion  in  the 
South,  a  certain  carpet-bagger  from  "  down  East "  was  making  a 
tour  through  the  Southern  country,  and  one  day,  on  a  train 
headed  northward,  he  discovered  a  well-dressed  gentleman  sit- 
ting alone  in  his  seat ;  and  although  there  were  plenty  of  vacant 
seats  in  the  car  when  Brother  Jonathan  from  down  East  came 
in,  the  temptation  to  hold  conversation  with  our  Southern 
friend  was  too  great,  and  he  crowded  himself  down  by  the  side 
of  the  latter. 

The  gentleman  at  once  drew  himself  a  little  closer  into  the 
corner  and  scowled  a  little  upon  the  carpet-bagger,  knowing  well 
by  his  earmarks  and  the  bag  he  swung  in  his  hand  who  he  was 
and  from  whence  he  came.  But  Jonathan  began  at  once  in 
the  following  strain  or  colloquy  :  "  Wai,  stranger,  you  seem  to 
be  travelling," 

The  gentleman  hitched  himself  a  little  more  into  the  seat, 
as  though  preparing  himself  for  what  he  well  knew  was  com- 
ing, and  answered  "Yes,  sir." 

"Neow,  and  where  mought  you  be  from  ?  " 

"From  the  State  of  Georgia,  sir." 

"  And  where  mought  you  be  going  ?  " 

By  this  time  our  Southern  friend  had  stood  about  all  he 
could,  for  they  never  do  like  being  questioned  very  much,  or 


112  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARK. 

having  their  private  matters  inquired  into,  by  strangers  espec- 
ially, in  any  way,  and  so  answered  the  Yankee  as  follows : 

"  Now,  sir,  I  not  only  know  who  you  are,  but  fully  under- 
stand you,  and  further  know  just  what  you  wish ;  and,  to  save 
you  the  trouble  of  asking  any  further  questions,  and  myself 
that  of  answering  them,  I  will  simply  tell  you  all  very  briefly.  1 
am  a  Southern  man,  as  you  see,  and  live  in  the  State  of  Geor- 
gia, as  I  have  told  you,  and  I  am  a  gentleman  of  very  exten- 
sive means,  owning  large  landed  estates,  etc.,  and  am  now  on 
my  way  to  New  York  City  to  look  at  the  place,  and  if  I  like 
it,  I  purpose  buying  it !  And  now  I  hope  you  are  satisfied." 

At  this  Brother  Jonathan  dropped  his  chin,  and,  apparently 
a  little  dazed,  looked  down  his  nose,  at  the  same  time  throwing 
a  glance  at  the  great  millionaire  who  sat  by  him,  and  observed 
for  the  first  time,  on  carefully  scanning  his  person,  that  he  had 
an  empty  sleeve  and  was  therefore  minus  an  arm,  which  he  had 
no  doubt  lost  during  "  the  late  unpleasantness "  between  the 
North  and  South ;  and  this  was  too  much  for  our  friend  with 
the  carpet  bag,  so  he  made  one  more  pass,  at  a  venture,  at  the 
stranger,  saying, 

"Wai,  stranger,  I — I — reely  don't  like  to  be  inquisitive,  or 
trouble  you  further  asking  questions,  but  I — I  would  like  to 
know  how  you  lost  your  arm  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  stranger,  "  I  will  tell  you  this,  too,  on 
condition,  however,  that  you  will  promise  me  positively  that 
you  will  ask  me  no  more  questions." 

"  Wai,  I'll  promise  you  that  I  will  not." 

"Then,  sir,"  said  he,  "it  was  bitten  off!" 

This  was  a  stunner  to  the  interlocutor,  but  he  rallied  again, 
and  in  very  great  anxiety,  and  with  an  apology,  ventured  to 
ask  one  more  question,  viz  :  "  I — I  would  like  to  know  r<  -hat 
bit  it  off?" 

And  just  so  with  anyone  who  believes  that  he  belongs  to  the 
only  true  Church  of  all  sects,  names,  and  denominations,  and 
feels  confident  of  this,  we  would  like  to  know  which  it  is  ? 
And  just  here,  before  proceeding  further  with  the  subject  be- 
fore us,  lest  some  very  sincere  and  earnest  Christian  might  be 
misled,  by  inferring  from  the  little  incident  related,  humorous 
as  it  is,  that  we  are  disposed  to  treat  the  above  matter  lightly, 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  113 

we  wish  to  at  once  disabuse  their  minds  now  and  altogether  of 
any  such  misapprehension  ;  for  the  Christian  religion  is  too 
sacred  and  of  too  great  moment  to  be  handled  or  disposed  of 
in  any  such  manner.  And  how  sad  is  the  thought  and  reflection 
that  the  foregoing  is,  alas,  too  true,  and  that  it  should,  indeed, 
become  necessary  for  any  Christian  man  to  ask  any  such  ques- 
tions— one,  too,  who  has  been  over  the  world,  and  seen  and 
learned  much,  and  has  both  observed  and  studied  the  question 
very  closely,  viz  :  that  of  what  may  be  styled  modern  and  pop- 
ular Christianity  at  the  present  day. 

And  it  is  yet  a  still  sadder  thing  when  we,  as  professing  Chris- 
tians, contemplate  such  a  commentary  upon  the  spirituality  of 
our  Churches  and  of  Christianity,  of  whatever  sect,  or  name,  or 
order.  May  the  Lord  send  a  mighty  awakening  throughout  this 
land  and  country  of  ours,  and  other  countries,  so  as  to  reach 
the  hearts  of  his  professing  people,  and  stir  up  the  churches 
who  call  themselves  after  his  name,  and  a  thousand  other  dif- 
ferent names,  with  all  their  cold  and  lifeless  forms  and  ceremo- 
nies, their  creeds  and  confessions,  and  cause  them  to  more 
earnestly  seek  after,  and  learn,  and  obey  the  truth  once  deliv- 
ered to  the  saints ;  causing  them  to  awake  from  their  slumbers 
and  become  united,  even  as  one  man,  strong  and  mighty  against 
the  enemy  which  has  come  like  an  overwhelming  flood  against 
Christianity,  so  as  to  the  better  enable  God's  people  of  every 
name,  and  in  every  place,  not  only  to  take  upon  them  Tin, 
NAME  of  Jesus  and  of  Christ  the  Lord,  but  to  be  able  to  give 
battle  against  the  great  common  enemy  now  stalking  abroad 
throughout  the  land. 

And  without  seeming  personal  in  any  reflection  we  may  fur- 
ther make,  or  inveighing  against  the  Churches,  yet  we  would 


114  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

say  that  every  intelligent,  earnest,  thinking  Christian  man  or 
woman,  minister  or  priest,  who  may  read  these  pages,  must 
KNOW  that  what  we  may  here  further  say  on  this  subject  is  in 
accordance  with  facts,  and  facts  altogether  lamentable,  and  even 
painful,  as  they  may  be  to  many,  viz :  that  multiplied  thousands 
of  Churches  today  are  only  "  synagogues  of  Satan,"  and  have 
as  GREAT  NEED  to  be  cleansed  as  did  the  holy  temple  of  God 
in  the  days  of  the  Savior,  when  on  entering  into  it  he  took  the 
scourge  which  he  had  made  of  cords, -and  whipped  the  vile, 
mercenary  hypocrites,  and  thieves,  and  robbers,  driving  them 
out,  and  overturning  the  tables  of  the  money  changers,  and 
them  that  SOLD  INNOCENT  DOVES,  telling  them  that  this  was 
"  the  house  of  God,  but  they  had  made  it  a  den  of  thieves." 

And  if  the  blessed  work  was  begun  today,  it  would  be  a  good 
one,  even  in  some  of  the  costly  and  magnificent  temples  which 
have  been  erected  to  God,  but  arc  more  often  made  the  house 
of  merchandise  than  anything  else,  where  not  only  money  is 
exchanged  from  the  pockets  of  the  people  into  those  of  the  min- 
ister and  priests,  but  also  where  the  very  souls  of  men,  and 
women  too,  are  bartered  and  sold. 

And  if  the  scourge  were  first  to  fall  upon  the  backs  of  some 
of  the  priests  and  ministers,  it  would  only  hit  where  it  justly 
belongs.  Are  we  not,  we  ask,  at  the  present,  in  the  very  age, 
the  doleful  age,  of  which  the  prophets  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Hosea, 
and  Micah  tell  us,  "  And  it  shall  be  as  with  the  people,  so  with 
the  priests"  "  And  it  shall  be  like  people,  like  priest."  "  The 
heads  thereof  judge  [or  preach]  for  reward  of  filthy  lucre,  and 
the  priests  teach  for  hire,  and  the  people  thereof  divine  for 
money."  Yet  will  they  lean  upon  the  Lord  and  say  :  "  Is  not 
the  Lord  among  us  ?  "  "  No  evil  can  come  unto  us." 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  115 

Dear  readers,  this  is  indeed  an  awful  picture  which  has  been 
drawn,  but,  alas,  how  true,  even  to  the  very  letter ;  and  there  is 
not  a  Christian  man  or  woman  who  may  read  this  who  does 
not  know  it  to  be  true,  if  he  or  she  will  only  stop  to  think  or 
reason  a  little  on  this  matter. 

Nor  need  we  stop  to  recite  even  a  single  instance  among  the 
thousands  which  occur  daily,  to  prove  to  you  the  verity  of  these 
statements.  Surely  not.  And  yet  all  these  things  of  which  we 
have  spoken  are  simply  playing  into  the  hands  of  Atheists,  De- 
ists, Infidels,  Spiritualists,  etc.,  just  as  they  would  have  it  do, 
and  they  secretly  exult  and  rejoice  over  it.  Let  a  fashionable 
and  costly  Church  be  begun  tomorrow  on  one  of  our  prominent 
streets,  and  probably  the  very  next  day  Satan  will  put  it  into  the 
hearts  of  his  emissaries  who  are  in  his  service  to  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  and  build  one  of  his  and  their  synagogues.  And,  per- 
adventure,  before  that  Church  is  completed,  they  will  have  two 
or  three,  or  even  half  a  dozen,  of  their  vile  dens  of  infamy  and 
shame  all  finished  off  and  in  full  sweep  of  the  destruction  of 
human  souls,  such  as  the  theater,  the  opera,  the  whisky  mur- 
der mill,  with  the  low  dance  hall  and  gambling  hell  often  at- 
tached to  it,  to  make  it  more  complete.  And  to  make  it  still 
more  attractive,  they  will  add  the  abode  of  her  "  whose  feet 
take  fast  hold  on  hell." 

All  of  which  vile  dens  are  gilded  in  the  most  gorgeous  and 
costly  manner,  to  make  them  as  attractive  as  possible,  to  allure, 
beguile,  seduce  and  lead  the  young  man,  and  young  woman,  too, 
on  to  sin,- and  often  to  hell.  On  the  Island,  and  in  the  State 
Prison  of  San  Quentin,  Cal.,  we  have  been  told  that  quite  three- 
fourths  or  four-fifths  of  the  inmates  are  young  men.  Need  we 
stop  to  tell  you  how  they  came  there  ? 


Il6  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    HAUL. 

But  by  and  by  the  fashionable  temple  erected  to  the  worship 
of  God  is  finished  in  a  most  gorgeous  and  costly  manner,  and 
a  most  imposing  and  beautiful  piece  of  architecture  it  is  to 
behold,  and  many  a  man  has  no  doubt  been  sadly  imposed 
upon  in  some  way  or  other,  by  having  money  extorted  from 
him  by  various  ways  and  means  to  help  on  with  its  comple- 
tion. 

The  pews  are  all  cushioned  and  upholstered  in  the  most 
costly  manner,  with  crimson  silk  or  rep ;  the  day  is  appointed 
for  their  sale.  The  rich  and  fashionable  church  member  goes, 
pays  his  money  and  takes  his  choice.  But  where  may  we  look 
to  find  the  same  fashionable  pew-holding  church  members  after- 
wards ? 

More  frequently  in  one  of  those  gilded  saloons  and  vile  dens 
of  infamy  such  as  we  have  already  described,  than  in  their 
pews  at  the  proper  time  in  the  church.  But  what  signifies  it, 
so  he  continues  to  hold  his  pew,  pay  the  rent,  and  thereby 
keep  may  be,  some  poor  man  or  woman  out  of  it. 

And  what  cares  the  priest  of  that  temple  or  church,  does  he 
not  teach  for  hire,  and  is  not  his  salary  a  fixed  and  large  one  ? 
Then  why  should  he  care  whether  his  pews  are  filled  or  empty  ? 
But  appearances  go  on  just  the  same,  and  we  all  know  the  old 
axiom:  "There  is  nothing  like  keeping  up  appearances."  Many 
have  tried  that  very  thing  for  years  and  know  just  how  it  pays 
in  almost  anything,  it  matters  but  little  what,  but  in  matters  of 
religion  especially.  And  just  here  in  this  connection  we  re- 
mark, that  Infidels,  Spiritualists,  etc.,  as  well  as  Satan  their 
master,  whom  they  serve,  are  very  well  satisfied  with  many  of 
the  Churches  at  the  present  day,  and  can,  indeed,  harmonize 
with  them  in  a  very  great  measure. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  Iiy 

But  how?  In  the  simple  fact,  we  will  answer,  in  all  we 
have  said  about  those  Churches,  and  the  priests,  elders,  dea- 
cons, members,  and  ministers,  being  strictly  true.  And  the 
Spiritualists,  being  mind  readers — some  of  them  at  least,  or  if 
not  just  that,  all  having  eyes  and  ears — can  see  just  how  far  pro- 
fessing  Christians  are  earnest  and  sincere  in  their  pretensions 
and  in  all  they  say  and  do 

A  FREE  SEAT. 

He  was  old,  and  poor,  and  a  stranger 
In  the  great  metropolis, 

And  he  bent  his  steps  toward  the  portal  wide 
Of  a  stately  edifice. 

Outside  he  enquired,  "What  church  is  this  ?  " 
"  Church  of  Christ,"  he  heard  them  say. 
Ah  !  just  the  place  I'm  looking  for, 
I  trust  he  is  here  today. 

He  passed  through  the  spacious  column'd  door, 

And  up  the  carpeted  aisle  ; 

And  as  he  passed,  on  many  a  face 

He  saw  surprise  and  smile  ; 

From  pew  to  pew  up  one  entire  side, 

Then  across  the  broad  front  space, 

From  pew  to  pew  down  the  other  side 

He  walked  with  the  same  slow  pace. 

Not  a  friendly  voice  had  bade  him  sit 

To  listen  to  gospel  truth  ; 

Not  a  sign  of  deference  had  been  paid 

To  the  aged  one  by  youth. 

No  door  was  opened  by  generous  hand, 

The  pews  were  paid  for — rented, 

As  he  was  a  stranger,  old  and  poor, 

Not  a  heart  to  him  relented. 


Il8  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

He  paused  a  moment  outside  to  think, 
Then  passed  into  the  street, 
Up  to  his  shoulder  he  lifted  a  stone 
That  lay  in  the  dust  at  his  feet, 
And  bore  it  up  the  broad,  grand  aisle, 
In  front  of  the  ranks  of  pews, 
Choosing  a  place  to  see  and  hear, 
He  made  a  seat  for  his  use. 

Calmly  sitting  on  the  huge  stone, 

Folding  his  hands  on  his  knees, 

Slowly  reviewing  the  worshippers^ 

A  great  confusion  he  sees. 

Many  a  cheek  is  crimsoned  with  shame, 

Some  whisper  together  sore, 

And  wish  they  had  been  more  courteous 

To  the  stranger,  old  and  poor. 

As  if  by  magic,  some  fifty  doors 

Opened  instantaneously, 

And  as  many  seats,  and  lxx>ks,  and  hands 

Are  proffered  hastily. 

Changing  his  seat  for  a  crimson  pew, 

And  wiping  a  tear  away, 

He  thinks  'twas  a  mistake  after  all, 

And  that  Christ  came  late  that  day. 

The  preacher's  discourse  was  eloquent, 

The  organ  in  finest  tone, 

But  the  most  impressive  sermon  heard 

Was  preached  by  that  humble  stone  1 

'Twas  a  lesson  of  lowliness  and  worth 

That  lodged  in  many  a  heart, 

And  the  Church  preserves  that  sacred  stone 

That  the  truth  may  not  depart  ! 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  119 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Continuation  of  Subject  of  Preceding  Chapter,  Further  Showing  the  Vivid 
Imagination  of  Spiritualists,  Together  with  a  Narration  of  the  Author's 
Personal  Experience  on  the  Subject. 

BEFORE  proceeding  with  this  chapter,  it  will,  perhaps,  not  be 
uninteresting  to  the  reader  to  give  a  short  narration  of  a  single 
instance  of  the  author's  own  personal  experience,  which  oc- 
curred a  few  years  ago,  and  is  of  a  highly  Spiritualistic  nature, 
of  which  I  was  not  only  an  eye-witness,  but  indirectly  took 
some  little  part. 

I  was  spending  some  time  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  Col- 
orado, on  account  of  poor  health,  and  while  there  the  thought 
occurred  to  me  that  I  would  do  a  little  missionary  work,  for 
the  love  I  bore  toward  my  fellow  creatures  and  for  my  Master, 
who  has  always  done  so  much  for  me  all  through  life's  journey, 
and  often  much  more  than  I  was  capable  of  appreciating,  or  as 
thankful  for  as  I  should  have  been. 

And  what  I  am  going  to  relate,  though  seemingly  of  a  trivial 
nature,  will  assist  at  least,  in  illustrating  the  subject  before  us. 
The  town  I  was  living  in  had  several  churches  of  various  de- 
nominations, and  I  was  accustomed  to  preach  occasionally  for 
first  one,  and  then  another,  as  well  as  practice  medicine  for 
the  people,  and  of  course  charged  nothing,  either  for  preach- 
ing or  practice.  In  the  meantime  the  thought  occurred  to  me, 
that  a  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  might  also  be  gotten 
up,  and  I  went  to  work  with  considerable  energy  to  accomplish 
this  end,  and  with  no  small  effort  and  some  cooperation  on 
the  part  of  others,  finally  succeeded.  Having  organized  and 
got  the  institution  in  working  order,  committees  were  appoint- 
ed among  the  members  to  perform  certain  duties,  among  which 
were  those  of  visiting  committees  appointed  to  hold  weekly 
prayer  meetings ;  and  being  one  of  that  number,  another  mem- 
ber and  myself  on  a  certain  evening  visited  an  old  lady  and 
her  daughter,  the  younger  of  whom  was  a  helpless  invalid,  and 
had  been  so  for  many  years. 


120  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

When  we  arrived  at  the  house,  we  also  found  a  little  wiry 
New  England  lady,  who  had  recently  arrived  from  the  East, 
and  she  having  heard  of  our  intention  before  the  meeting, 
sought  the  opportunity  of  being  present  on  that  occasion,  and 
as  might  be  supposed  and  hoped,  had  come  to  assist  in  the 
meeting  also,  which,  as  will  presently  be  seen,  she  really  did, 
in  such  a  way,  however,  as  is  perhaps  seldom  seen  on  such  oc- 
casions. 

After  introductions  had  been  exchanged  in  due  form,  and 
a  few  minutes'  pleasant  conversation,  the  meeting  was  com- 
menced by  singing  rather  a  spiritual  Gospel  song  or  two,  and 
then  prayers,  kneeling.  After  singing  again,  I  read,  I  think  it 
was,  the  4th  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  of  John,  as  follows : 

"  Beloved,  believe  not  every  spirit,  but  try  the  spirits,  wheth- 
er they  are  of  God,  because  many  false  prophets  are  gone  out 
into  the  world."  2d.  "Hereby  know  ye  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  every 
spirit  that  confesseth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come  in  the  flesh  is  of 
God,  and  every  spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
come  in  the  flesh  is  not  of  God  ;  and  that  is  that  spirit  of  anti- 
Christ,  whereof  ye  have  heard  that  it  should  come,  and  even  now 
itis  already  in  the  world";  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

Then  after  adding  a  few  practical  remarks  bearing  on  the 
lesson  read,  1  called  on  my  friend,  a  good  Baptist  brother,  to 
lead  in  prayer.  Our  little  lady  from  the  East,  whom  I  hnv.o 
mentioned,  had,  however,  by  this  time  become  quite  restless, 
and  so  about  the  time  Bro.  Sanford  (as  he  was  called)  got  well 
under  way  with  his  prayer  (which  was  well  emphasized,  and 
certainly  loud  enough  to  be  heard)  the  little  woman  sprang  to 
her  feet  all  of  a  sudden,  and  began  gesticulating  with  her  arms 
very  excitedly,  at  the  same  time  saying  "  Shoo  !  shoo !  shoo  !  " 
and  apparently  driving  some  (to  us)  unseen  object  before  her, 
and  through  the  open  door  leading  into  the  room  where  the 
invalid  lay  on  her  couch.  Then  she  stationed  herself  there,  as  it 
were  to  guard  the  door  during  the  rest  of  the  services,  which 
however,  soon  came  to  an  end,  and  so  must  this,  my  story. 

I  then  asked  her  what  the  trouble  was  :  that  I  had  noticed 
that  she  seemed  a  little  excited.  *•  Oh  !  "  said  she,  "  I  was;  I 
saw  such  dreadful,  wicked  spirits  coming  through  the  door 
here,  right  into  the  room,  and  so  I  drove,  them  and  kept  them 
back,  till  you  got  through  with  the  meeting,  for  fear  of  trouble." 

She  then  told  me  she  was  a  Spirit  Medium,  and  of  course 
could  control  them  at  will ;  the  doctrine  of  Spiritualists  in  this 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  121 

respect,  as  you  will  at  once  see,  remembering  what  is  shown  in 
preceding  chapters,  being  directly  to  the  reverse  of  the  pro- 
ceeding in  this  case. 

But  whether  the  little  woman  actually  imagined  she  saw 
wicked  spirits,  or  did  all  this  for  effect  or  not,  I,  of  course,  am 
unable  to  say.  I,  however,  asked  her  why  she  did  not  let  them 
come.  "Oh,"  said  she,  "it  would  never  have  done;  there 
would  have  been  trouble.  They  were  much  displeased  with 
our  meeting,  and  the  Scripture  you  read,  and  what  you  said, 
etc." 

The  dear  little  lady  seemed  to  think  they  had  a  great  spite 
at  me  especially  (which,  however,  I  had  always  known  to  be 
true),  and  were  seeking  to  do  me  bodily  harm.  I  might  have 
told  her  I  was  used  to  that  sort  of  thing  already  from  them  in 
various  ways,  and  had  been  for  a  long  time. 

She  herself  also  assured  me  she  was  not  satisfied  with  that 
Scripture  either,  nor  with  the  way  I  had  commented  on  it,  and 
wished  I  would  listen  to  her  explication  of  it  I  told  her  it 
would  be  of  no  use  nor  do  any  good,  for  I  had  already  been 
through  the  schools.  And  that  if  she  still  continued  to  follow 
up  that  doctrine  of  Spiritualism,  it  would  soon  land  her  in  the 
insane  asylum,  for  she  was  fast  verging  in  that  direction  then. 

Kind  reader,  it  is  needless  for  us  to  tell  you  that  many  of 
them  do  become  insane,  for  they  have  told  us  with  their  own 
lips  that  they  actually  see,  or  imagine  they  sec,  hear  or  feel  all 
manner  of  absurd  things. 

When  I  was  investigating  Spiritualism,  and  trying  to  find  out 
what  there  is  in  it,  I  myself  have  seen  sights  and  wonders,  too, 
at  their  circles  and  seances,  that  were,  indeed,  marvellous  to 
behold.  Whilst  I  did  not  believe  even  my  own  eyes  and  ears, 
yet  quite  every  one  else  present  as  firmly  and  honestly  believed 
everything  we  saw  and  heard  as  they  believed  they  were  draw- 
ing the  breath  of  life. 

I  might  recite  instances  by  the  hour  concerning  these  things, 
if  space  would  allow.  I  heard  a  New  York  lawyer,  who  figured 
prominently  in  Washington,  and  among  Spiritualists,  tell  that 


122  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

he  had  actually  seen  the  eyes  of  a  portrait  painting  of  a  de- 
ceased friend,  that  was  hung  upon  the  wall,  move  distinctly  in 
their  sockets,  winking  and  blinking  at  him,  whilst  he  was  gaz- 
ing at  it ;  and  it  was  looking  at  him  just  as  the  original  had 
done  in  life ;  and  that  he  was  confident  that  portrait  was  alive 
then. 

In  this  most  extraordinary  seance,  held  by  this  highly  dis- 
tinguished lobbyist,  politician  and  infidel  (we  have  not  said  it 
was  Bob  End-or  Saul),  who  saw  the  portrait  on  the  wall  thus 
winking  and  blinking  at  him  so  true  to  life,  we  are  forcibly  re- 
minded of  the  childish,  innocent  little  song  of  the  jay  bird, 
perched  on  a  swinging  limb. 

SONG  OF  THE  JAY  BIRD. 

A  Bluejay  perched  on  a  swinging  limb, 
And  he  winked at  me,  and  he  winked  vA.  Jim. 
He  looked  so  cunning  and  cute,  you  know, 
As  he  flapped  his  wings  and  winked  at  Joe. 

He  winked  at  Joe  and  flapped  his  wings, 
And  sang  us  a  song  about  different  things. 
And  winking  at  me,  he  seemed  to  say, 
"If  you  (John)  can  catch  my  /ale,  you  may, 
Ri-dalda,  ralda,  riddle-dal-day." 

As  I  (John)  looked  up,  he  gave  one  more  flop, 
And,  just  then,  I  let  my  eyelids  drop, 
When  lo,  on  the  brim  of  my  broad  chip  hat, 
I  heard  a  twig,  leaf,  or  something  come — spat. 

Again  I  looked  up  :  "  What  means  this,  Mr.  Jay?"' 
But  winking  once  more,  he  seemed  slyly  to  say, 
With  a  knowing  look,  to  Joe  and  Jim, 
"Boys,  don't  you  see  how  I  headed  him  ?  " 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 


123 


With  one  more  wink  at  Jim  and  Joe, 
And  a  flap  of  his  wings,  he  off  did  go. 
But  if  I  (John)  had  had  but  a  handful  of  salt 
To  throw  on  his  tail  I'd  have  made  him  halt. 

But  the  above  is  but  a  small  matter  to  what  many  Spiritual- 
ists do  profess  to  both  see,  and  hear,  and  feel,  and  there  can  be 
no  reasonable  doubt  in  the  mind  of  any  intelligent  man  or  wom- 
an who  has  ever  considered  this  subject,  that  Spiritualists  do, 
indeed,  actually  see  wonderful  sights,  as  well  as  hear  and  feel 
wonderful,  things.  Even  the  Scripture  evidence  we  have  re- 
ferred to  in  the  cases  of  Saul  and  Eliphaz,  not  to  mention  oth- 
ers, are  sufficient  of  themselves  to  prove  this  to  be  a  veritable 
fact. 


124  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARK. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Subject  of  last  Chapter  continued,  with  Spirit  Manifestations  Disclosed. 

AT  this  moment,  on  entering  on  the  subject  of  this  chapter, 
another  mysterious  incident  or  two  occurs  to  my  mind,  which 
came  under  my  own  personal  observation,  and  which,  indeed, 
happened  to  myself. 

On  returning  from  a  sea  voyage  to  Turkey  and  Asia  Minor, 
or  Syria,  as  it  is  more  familiarly  known,  in  mid-winter,  we  found 
the  sea  exceedingly  rough,  as  it  almost  invariably  is  at  that  sea- 
son, so  much  so,  indeed,  that  the  vessel  could  not  effect  a 
landing  at  the  ancient  City  of  Joppa,  nor  at  Port  Said ;  so  we 
were  compelled  to  continue  on  directly  to  Alexandria,  and  there 
also  found  the  coast  and  harbor  so  rough  that  we  were  com- 
pelled to  cast  anchor,  and  lie  to  for  some  time  before  going 
ashore  or  pursuing  our  voyage,  the  destination  of  which  was  the 
coast  of  France.  In  a  few  days,  however,  the  tempest  which 
had  been  raging  seemed  to  subside  a  little,  and  so  our  vessel 
weighed  anchor  and  steamed  out  again  on  her  onward  course. 
The  termination  of  the  voyage,  which  we  ought  to  have  been 
able  to  make  in  three  days,  took  us,  however,  more  than  six,  on 
account  of  rough  weather  and  yet  rougher  seas. 

Although  the  vessel  was  a  strong  screw  steamer,  of  the  Rus- 
sian, Oriental,  and  Peninsula  Line  of  mail  steamers,  yet  she 
seemed  to  be  more  under  the  ocean  a  great  part  of  the  time 
than  above  it,  owing  to  the  rough  Mediterranean  seas  and  the 
Adriatic  "  chop  waves,"  as  they  are  called,  coming  in  cross 
directions,  which  caused  our  vessel  to  be  almost  continually 
shipping  heavy  seas  over  the  decks,  and  ploughing,  bow  fore- 
most, down  into  the  waters  of  the  deep. 

So,  altogether,  it  was  a  very  disagreeable  voyage,  to  say  no 
more  of  it ;  not  quite  so  bad,  however,  as  St.  Paul  experienced 
on  his  way  when  prisoner  to  Rome,  which  also  occurred  in  win- 
ter and  in  these  same  waters,  and  during  one  of  those  dreadful 
tempests  which  lasted  fourteen  days  and  nights,  during  which 
time,  the  record  tells  us,  neither  sun,  moon,  or  stars  shone  out, 
and  which  finally  ended  in  a  dreadful  shipwreck,  causing  the 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  125 

loss  of  the  vessel  and  its  entire  cargo,  the  lives  of  those  on 
board  only  being  saved,  and  during  which  time  they  ate  noth- 
ing ;  and  the  last  night,  he  tells  us  also,  while  being  tossed  to 
and  fro,  up  and  down  upon  the  raging  seas  and  those  troubled 
waters,  he  saw  an  angel  (or  spirit)  who  came  and  stood  by  him, 
telling  him  to  be  of  good  cheer,  etc. 

I,  however,  neither  saw  angel  nor  spirit  on  this  occasion,  and 
I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  you  in  telling  you  this.  But  I  was 
dreadfully  sick,  not  being  well  when  I  started  on  the  voyage, 
and,  having  entirely  lost  my  appetite  from  exhaustion  and  fee- 
bleness, had  eaten  nothing  for  some  days ;  so,  together  with 
fasting  and  sea-sickness,  I  had  become  so  weak  that  I  could 
not  easily  raise  my  head  from  my  pillow. 

The  steward,  coming  into  my  room  one  morning,  and  seeing 
my  feeble  condition,  took  pity  upon  me,  I  suppose,  and  con- 
cluded he  would  try  to  get  me  to  take  a  little  nourishment  of 
some  kind.  But  unfortunately  he  could  not  understand  a  word 
of  English,  nor  could  I  understand  a  word  of  Russian,  which 
was  his  mother  tongue,  nor  did  there  seem  to  be  a  living  soul 
aboard  the  ship  who  could  speak  any  other.  I,  however,  great- 
ly felt  the  absolute  necessity  for  some  food,  or  I  should  hardly 
live  to  make  the  voyage  ;  and  I  thought  if  I  could  get  a  little 
champagne  and  take  a  few  sips,  it  might  enable  me  then  to 
take  a  little  food,  of  whatever  kind  I  might  be  able  to  get. 
And  so  I  tried  to  ask  for  a  bottle  of  it,  and  by  a  great  effort  got 
him  to  understand  that ;  but  I  could  think  of  nothing  I  wanted 
besides,  unless,  perhaps,  a  bite  of  bread  and  a  soft  boiled  egg ; 
so  I  tried  to  get  him  to  understand  this,  but  neither  English, 
French,  or  Italian  now  served  my  purpose.  In  a  word,  they 
were  dead  languages  to  him.  Suddenly  a  happy  thought  came 
into  my  mind,  as  a  rather  singular  device,  and  taking  a  pencil 
and  a  card  from  my  vest  pocket,  as  I  lay  with  my  head  propped 
up  a  little  on  my  pillow,  I  drew  upon  the  card  as  well  as  I 
could  the  picture  of  a  fowl,  and  underneath  a  few  oblong  Os, 
and  handed  it  to  him,  when  with  a  knowing  look  and  smile  he 
darted  off,  and  in  a  few  minutes  returned,  with  not  only  soft- 
boiled  eggs,  butter,  and  bread,  but  part  of  a  tender-broiled 
chicken  also  ;  and  I  then  felt  that  I  had  certainly  been  favored 
by  a  kind  and  merciful  Providence,  as  well  as  by  the  cook  and 
steward. 

And  I  am  not  quite  sure,  though  I  have  often  thought  so 
since,  that  this  little  matter,  trifling  as  it  may  seem,  probably 


126  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

saved  my  life  on  that  voyage,  as  I  certainly  was  very  much  re- 
duced. This  was  one  of  the  instances,  at  least,  in  which  I  think 
a  few  sips  of  champagne  did  good,  without  giving  a  rousing 
headache  afterwards,  or  causing  me  to  double  up. 

And  now,  by  permission,  I  want  to  relate  very  briefly  another 
instance,  when  I  am  not  so  sure  that  champagne  did  good;  and 
this  is  really  only  a  prolongation  of  the  same  story,  the  most 
interesting  part  of  which  is  yet  to  come.  I  am  only  sorry  I 
have  had  to  consume  so  much  space  before  reaching  it,  but 
the  rest  will  be  more  briefly  told. 

On  arriving  in  port  a  few  days  after,  and  taking  a  train  for 
old  Rome,  my  place  of  destination,  and  being  whirled  along 
over  the  rough  roads,  across  the  Alpine  and  Pyreneean  moun- 
tains in  the  south  of  France  and  Italy,  hundreds  of  miles,  for 
two  or  three  days  and  nights,  through  the  cold,  without  any 
sleeping  car,  I  arrived  in  the  Eternal  City. 

And  now  I  found  myself  in  rather  sad  plight  again;  and  so, 
that  evening,  at  the  table  cChbtc,  which  takes  from  two  to  three 
hours  to  discuss  a  meal  or  get  a  few  bites  to  eat,  I  felt  such  a 
general  weakness  and  goneness,  somehow,  that  as  the  champagne 
had  served  such  an  excellent  purpose  aboard  the  ship,  I  con- 
cluded I  would  try  it  again,  and  so  ordered  it  brought.  I 
poured  a  small  quantity  into  my  glass,  and  passed  the  rest 
around  to  the  guests  who  sat  near  me  at  the  table.  After  sit- 
ting a  little  while,  and  taking  a  light  meal,  I  soon  retired  to  my 
room. 

On  entering  it,  after  climbing  with  considerable  effort  sever- 
al flights  of  stone  steps,  I  thought  I  heard  incoherent  sounds 
like  a  female  voice  in  an  unknown  tongue,  coming  from  the 
room  immediately  overhead,  as  it  seemed,  and  as  if  some  one 
was  in  great  distress  ;  and  presently  heard  knockings  and 
poundings,  as  if  whoever  it  was  might  be  trying  to  get  out  of 
some  close  confinement  or  enclosure.  However,  I  was  too 
"  tired,  and  sleepy,  too,  "  and  so  put  myself  "  in  my  little  bed," 
without  paying  much  attention  to  the  noises  overhead,  first  tak- 
ing the  precaution,  however,  to  both  lock  and  bolt  my  door 
carefully.  I  blew  out,  not  the  gas  (for  they  have  none  in  Rome), 
but  the  candle. 

I  was  very  soon  resigned  to  the  arms  of  old  Morpheus,  in  a 
sound,  deep,  sweet  sleep,  just  such  as  Eliphaz  tells  us  "  falls 
upon  men,"  and  having  slept  for  some  time,  I  know  not  how 
long,  but  perhaps  for  several  hours,  all  of  a  sudden,  without 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  127 

being  aroused  or  waked  up,  I  saw  a  female  dressed  in  white, 
just  as  plainly  as  I  see  this  paper  before  me  upon  which  I  am 
now  writing,  and  who  came  very  stealthily  and  quietly  to  the 
head  of  my  bed,  staring  at  me  steadily  with  piercing  dark  eyes ; 
and  just  as  she  was  in  the  act  of  slipping  her  hand  under  my 
pillow,  I  called  out  loudly,  "  Who's  that  ?  "  when  she  as  sud- 
denly flitted  across  the  room,  and  making  a  circle  round  it,  van- 
ished through  the  door. 

I,  in  the  meantime,  just  at  this  moment,  had  raised  up  ;  and 
on  sitting  up  in  bed,  and  rubbing  my  eyes  a  little,  to  be  sure  I 
was  quite  awake  and  had  not  been  dreaming,  I  then  thought 
to  myself,  "  How  is  this  ?  I  don't  quite  understand  it,  and 
perhaps  I  had  better  investigate  a  little." 

So  I  got  up  and  lit  the  candle  in  order  to  reconnoitre,  and 
first  went  to  the  door  to  see  if  the  bold,  bad  woman  had  slipped 
the  bolt  and  unlocked  it.  But  to  my  surprise,  as  well  as  relief, 
I  found  bolt  and  lock  securely  fixed,  just  as  I  had  left  them  on 
the  inside,  and  the  key  just  where  I  had  put  it  on  retiring  to  bed. 

I  then  began  to  think  there  must  surely  be  some  mistake 
about  my  having  seen  the  nocturnal  visitor  in  my  room  at  all. 
But  to  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  I  looked  under  the  bed, 
and  under  a  lounge,  and  in  a  wardrobe,  and  in  the  bureau, 
which  were  all  standing  in  my  room,  simply  to  find — not  in  all 
of  them,  but  in  one — just  nothing  at  all. 

So  then  I  began  to  conclude  that  I  had  not  seen  any  body 
in  the  room,  and  yet  I  was  just  as  certain  and  sure  that  I  had, 
as  I  ever  was  in  my  life  of  having  seen  anything  I  had  not  seen. 
But  I  blew  out  the  light  and  returned  to  bed,  after  first  look- 
ing to  see  if  I  had  been  robbed  ;  and  while  lying  there  and 
musing  about  the  circumstance  and  the  strangeness  of  the  whole 
affair,  I  began  to  speculate  as  to  what  could  have  produced 
such  an  apparition  ?  And  now  the  thought  occurred  to  me, 
"  It  may  be,  and  may  not  she  be,  that  champagne^  after  all." 

The  reader  is  perhaps  aware  that  when  one  drinks  cham- 
pagne, at  the  particular  time  of  the  act,  you  drink  the  "  sham," 
and  then,  generally  during  the  course  of  the  night  or  following 
day,  you  get  the  "  pain,"  and  it  usually  comes  in  the  shape  of 
a  rousing  headache,  or  a  terrible  doubling  up  in  the  region  of 
the  "  O,  my  !  " 

The  Apostle  Paul  tells  us  to  "  try  or  prove  all  things,  and 
hold  fast  to  that  which  is  good,"  but  somehow  I  never  could 
"  hold  on  "  to  champagne.  I  have  not  tried  it  very  often,  but 


128  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    LAKE. 

whenever  I  did,  I  found  that  it  was  more  likely  to  "  get  away  " 
with  me,  than  I  was  to  "  hold  on  "  to  it,  and  so  I  have  quit  it 
altogether. 

But  Paul  did  tell  Timothy  to  take  a  little  wine  for  his  stom- 
ach's sake  and  often  infirmities,  and  that  was  right,  for  I  have 
no  doubt  the  dear  boy  needed  it,  and  it  was  a  very  good  pre- 
scription, provided  he  did  not  become  too  fond  of  it.  But  I 
doubt  very  much  if  Paul,  or  Timothy  either,  ever  tried  cham- 
pagne ! 

But  perhaps  some  who  read  this,  having  a  more  enquiring 
mind  than  others,  would  ask  :  Was  it  a  Spirit,  or  ghost,  or  ap- 
parition, which  I  saw  in  my  room  ?  And  to  this  I  can  only 
answer,  I  do  not  know,  but  I  think  it  was — not. 

In  the  Apocalyptic  vision  of  St.  John  the  Revelator,  the 
record  tells  us,  he  "  saw  a  two-horned  beast  rise  up  out  of  the 
earth."  John  tells  us  "  he  had  two  horns  like  a  lamb,  and  spake 
as  a  dragon."  (Chapter  XIII.)  Here  we  see  this  twu-hurned, 
lamblike  creature,  quietly  "  rise  up  out  of  t lie  earth"  "And 
he  cxerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first  beast  before  him,  and 
causeth  the  earth  and  them  that  dwell  therein  to  worship  the 
first  beast,"  etc.  "  And  he  doeth  great  wonders,"  etc.  "  And 
deceiveth  them  that  dwell  on  earth  by  means  of  those  miracles 
which  he  hath  power  to  do,"  etc.  All  prophecy  and  Revela- 
tion seems  to  point  to  the  fact,  and  students  and  writers  on  the 
subject  who  have  carefully  studied  the  matter  seem  generally 
agreed,  that  this  continent  of  ours  is  the  spot  upon  which  the 
two-horned  beast  first  made  his  appearance,  quietly  coming  up 
out  of  the  earth  ;  and  without  entering  upon  an  extended  dis- 
cussion of  the  subject  at  great  length,  we  may  add  that  it  is  also 
agreed  that  this  beast  answers  accurately  to  the  origin,  ri 
progress  of  Modern  Spiritualism  in  this  country  also.  \Vc  have 
not  space  to  describe  how  in  the  "  two  horns  like  those  of  a 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  129 

lamb,"  we  recognize  a  symbol  which  fitly  represents  our  gov- 
ernment, in  its  very  origin,  and  the  foundation  upon  which  it 
was  established  as  to  first  principles,  nor  to  follow  it  in  its  un- 
foldings  and  developments,  into  what  we  now  find  it. 

But  as  the  horns  of  this  beast  are  particularly  mentioned  to 
describe  the  character  in  which  the  beast  first  made  its  appear- 
ance, so,  also,  is  its  voice,  which  is  afterwards  mentioned  as 
"speaking  like  a  dragon."  All  prophecy  and  Revelation  on  the 
subject  also  points  to  the  present,  and  again  writers  and  com- 
mentators are  agreed  that  we  are  living  in  that  age  when  the 
second  coming  of  Christ  is  near  at  hand. 

And  the  Savior  tells  us  that  before  that  time  IC  there  shall 
false  Christs  arise,  and  false  prophets,  and  shall  *  show  great 
signs  and  wonders,'  insomuch  that  if  it  were  possible  'would 
deceive  the  very  elect,' "  etc. 

And  Paul  tells  us  in  II  Timothy  2  :  9,  10,  in  speaking  of  the 
second  coming  of  Christ,  "Whose  coming  is  after  (KATA — 
at  the  time  of)  the  working  of  Satan,  with  all  power,  and  signs, 
and  lying  wonders,  and  with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteous- 
ness in  them  that  perish,  because  they  received  not  the  love  of 
the  truth  that  they  might  be  saved." 

And  what  are  the  manifestations  we  so  constantly  behold  ? 
And  are  we  not  plainly  told  in  the  above,  as  well  as  throughout 
Scripture  teachings  relating  to  these  things,  that  the  won- 
der-working powers  and  agencies  lying  back  of  all  these  man- 
ifestations are  to  be  Satanic — "  the  spirits  of  devils  "? 

Well  might  the  prophet  exclaim,  in  prophetic  vision,  as  he 
looked  down  the  vista  of  Time  and  saw  what  lay  before  him  : 
"  Woe  to  the  inhabiters  of  the  earth  and  of  the  sea,  for  the 
devil  is  come  down  unto  you,  having  great  wrath,  because  he 


130  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    UARK. 

knoweth  that  he  hath  but  a  short  time."  "  Stand  aghast,  O 
earth,  tremble,  ye  people,  but  be  not  deceived." 

Satan,  it  would  seem,  is  indeed  loosed,  and  from  the  depths 
of  Tartarus  myriads  of  demons  swarm  over  the  land.  And  the 
Prince  of  Darkness  and  of  the  Power  of  the  Air  manifests  him- 
self as  never  before.  But  how  ?  Alas,  in  more  ways  than  can 
be  numbered,  though  his  crowning  acts  in  showing  "  signs  and 
wonders  "  are  fully  developed  in  Spiritualism  in  the  following 
manner:  First,  as  we  have  plainly  shown,  from  Spiritualists' 
own  utterances  and  teachings,  which  have  the  voice  of  the 
dragon.  Second,  in  the  many  achievements  of  which  we  have 
space  to  mention  only  a  few,  viz  :  Various  articles  have  been 
transported  by  Spirits  alone  from  one  place  to  another ;  charm- 
ing music  produced  without  any  visible  human  agency,  and 
without  even  the  aid  of  visible  instruments  ;  many  well  attested 
cases  of  healing  been  performed ;  persons  have  been  carried 
through  the  air  by  the  Spirits  in  the  presence  of  many  lookers- 
on  ;  tables  have  been  suspended  in  the  air  with  several  persons 
sitting  upon  them,  and  Spirits  have  presented  themselves  times 
unnumbered  in  bodily  form,  and  talked  with  an  audible  voice. 

Bodily,  tangible,  hnman  forms  have  again  and  again  been 
evolved  or  materialized  (we  think  by  expert,  manipulating  me- 
diums) from  intangible,  and  ethereal,  and  invisible  Spirits.  Jo- 
seph Cook  relates  that  during  his  late  visit  to  the  great  German 
philosopher,  Prof.  Yollner,  he  demonstrated  the  following  facts, 
some  of  which  are  of  frequent  occurrence.  Messages  were 
written  between  doubly  and  trebly  sealed  slates ;  coins  were 
passed  through  the  solid  table  in  a  manner  which  illustrated 
the  suspension  of  the  laws  of  the  impenetrability  of  matter ; 
straps  of  leather  were  knotted  under  Yollner's  hands ;  the  im- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  131 

pressions  of  two  feet  were  given  on  soiled  paper,  pasted  inside 
two  sealed  slates,  whole  and  uninjured;  wooden  rings  were 
around  the  standard  of  a  cord  table,  over  either  end  of  which 
they  could  by  no  possibility  be  slipped ;  and  finally,  the  table 
itself,  a  heavy,  beechen  article,  wholly  disappeared,  and  then 
fell  down  from  the  top  of  the  room  in  which  Prof.  Yollner  and 
his  friends  were  sitting. 

A  writer  in  the  "  Spiritual  Clarion  "  speaks  as  follows  of  the 
manner  in  which  Spiritualism  has  arisen,  and  the  astounding 
progress  it  has  made :  "  This  revelation  has  been  with  a 
power  and  a  might,  that,  if  divested  of  its  almost  universal  be- 
nevolence, had  been  a  terror  to  the  very  soul ;  the  hair  of  the 
very  bravest  had  stood  on  end,  and  his  chilled  blood  had  crept 
back  upon  his  heart  at  the  sights  and  sounds  of  its  inexplicable 
phenomena.  It  comes  with  foretokening,  with  warning.  It 
has  been  from  the  very  first  its  own  best  prophet,  and  step  by 
step  it  has  foretold  the  progress  it  would  make.  It  comes,  too, 
most  triumphant.  No  faith  before  it  ever  took  so  victorious  a 
stand  in  its  infancy.  It  has  swept  like  a  hurricane  of  fire 
through  the  land,  compelling  faith  from  the  baffled  scoffer  and 
the  most  determined  doubter." 

We  have  likened  this  mysteriously  strange  phenomenon  to 
the  two-horned  beast  of  the  Apocalyptic  vision,  as  being  in  ex- 
act similitude  in  its  figurative  character  and  presentation,  es- 
pecially so  far  as  relates  to  its  origin  or  first  appearance  on  this 
Continent,  of  which  we  will  have  more  to  say  in  the  succeeding 
chapter. 


132  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

A  brief  History  of  the  Origin,  Development,  and  Rapid  Progress  of  Spirit- 
ualism, and  the  Alarming  Attitude  it  has  Assumed,  etc. 

THE  careful  reader  will  remember  that  in  the  preceding  chap- 
ters and  others,  we  have  referred  to  a  certain  beast  or  beasts 
in  the  prophecies  of  Daniel  and  Revelations,  as  prefiguring  the 
coming  and  manifestations  of  Spiritualism.  And  by  turning 
to  the  1 3th  chapter  of  Revelations,  it  will  be  seen  that  two 
beasts  arc  here  described  :  The  first,  we  are  told,  was  like  unto 
a  leopard,  and  his  feet  like  the  feet  of  a  bear,  his  mouth  as  the 
mouth  of  a  lion,  and  the  dragon  gave  him  his  power  and  seat 
and  great  authority,  etc.,  and  we  will  here  add  this  beast  and 
the  dreadful  and  terrible  beast  seen  by  Daniel,  (chapter  7  :  7, 
19,)  and  although  "  diverse "  from  anything  he  had  yet  seen, 
and  quite  different  in  its  general  configuration  to  the  one  just 
described  in  Revelation,  yet  quite  all  commentators  and  writers 
on  prophecy  are  generally  agreed  that  both  beasts  are  intended 
to  represent  one  and  the  same,  and  that  each  refers  to  the 
Roman  Hierarchy  or  Pontifical  power. 

Further  comment  on  this  subject,  we  have  neither  time  nor 
space  here  to  give,  nor  does  it  indeed  come  within  the  scope 
of  this  present  matter,  but  will  be  considered  at  some  length 
in  our  forthcoming  work  on  "  Prophecy  and  Revelations/' 
But  in  the  i3th  chapter  of  Revelations  referred  to,  we  also  have 
the  two-horned  beast,  which  has  already  been  mentioned,  de- 
scribed, ''''which  came  up  out  of  the  ear//i,  and  he  had  two  horns 
like  a  lamb,  and  he  spake  as  a  dragon,"  and  exercised  all  the 
power  of  the  first  beast  before  him,  etc.  "  And  he  doeth  great 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  133 

wonders,  so  that  he  maketh  fire  to  come  down  from  hearen  on 
the  earth  in  the  sight  of  men,  and  deceiveth  them  that  dwell 
on  the  earth  by  the  means  of  those  miracles  which  he  had 
power  to  do  in  the  sight  of  the  beast,"  /.  e.,  the  first  beast  be- 
fore him.  Of  the  "  mark  "  here  referred  to,  we  have  no  time 
now  to  explain  the  meaning  to  those  who  are  not  familiar  with 
the  prophecies.  In  applying  the  above,  however,  to  Spiritual 
manifestations,  so  far,  at  least,  as  relates  to  the  bringing  of  fire 
down  from  heaven,  the  nearest  anyone  has  ever  come  to  that, 
or  in  the  actual  accomplishment  of  it,  as  far  as  we  have  ever 
learned,  was  Ben  Franklin,  with  his  kite  to  which*a  silk  thread 
was  attached,  the  end  of  which  descended  into  the  neck  of  a 
bottle.  Hence  the  saying,  "  Franklin  chained  the  lightning, 
and  Morse,  the  inventor  of  telegraphy,  taught  it  the  English 
language."  Spiritualism,  however,  answers  unmistakably  to  the 
above  prophecy  of  the  two- horned  beast,  as  we  might  abundantly 
show,  having  begun  in  a  little  town  called  Hydesville,  near 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  the  family  of  one  John  D.  Fox,  with  his 
daughters,  whose  moral  characters  were  not  above  reproach,  as 
it  has  been  said  that  of  "  Caesar's  wife  "  should  be. 

These  manifestations,  which  occurred  in  1848,  were  in  the 
form  of  certain  mysterious  raps  which  were  heard  from  time  to 
time,  but,  however,  were  afterwards  discovered  to  be  a  cunning- 
ly arranged  trick  which  those  girls  had  got  up  for  sensational 
purposes,  the  exposure  of  which  mattered  not,  however,  and 
many  at  once  believed. 

And  from  this  insignificant  origin,  known  as  the  "  Rochester 
knockings,"  began  to  spread  the  most  wonderfully  mysterious 
and  strange  art  that  has  ever  cursed  a  land  or  nation,  until  it 
Las  now  assumed  such  proportions  in  rapid  movements  and 


134  MODERN    SIMKrn'AUSM     I  AID    I5AKK. 

gigantic  strides  from  the  East  to  the  West,  as  well  as  from 
North  to  South,  and  also  in  other  lands  and  countries,  until  it 
has  not  only  become  marvelous  to  behold,  but  even  alarming 
in  its  threatening  aspects. 

At  the  present  time  this  monster,  which  has  so  recently 
reared  its  head,  now  numbers  its  votaries  by  multiplied  millions, 
the  exact  number  of  whom  it  would  be  quite  as  impossible  to 
arrive  at  as  that  of  the  drops  in  the  ocean.  Among  these  are 
not  only  ex-Presidents,  Congressmen,  and  other  statesmen, 
both  now  in  office  and  who  have  been,  in  this  country,  but  also 
doctors,  lawyers,  and  clergymen,  in  great  numbers,  Protestant 
and  Catholic  bishops,  reverend  presidents  of  colleges,  judges  of 
our  higher  courts,  foreign  ambassadors,  etc.  And  now,  cross- 
ing the  Atlantic  Ocean,  we  find  yet  to  be  added  to  the  distin- 
guished multitude  Her  mighty  Majesty  and  Sovereign,  Queen 
Victoria,  the  late  Emperor  and  Empress  of  France,  the  late 
Queen  of  Spain,  Pope  Pius  the  Ninth,  deceased,  Alexander  II., 
the  Grand  Duke  of  Russia,  Alexander  III.,  and  many  others 
who  might  be  added. 

That  the  Spiritualists,  as  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter,  an- 
ticipate and  even  now  have  the  organization  of  such  a  general 
Order  as  clearly  represents  the  mark  of  the  beast  to  which  we 
have  referred.  We  read  that  "  it  spake  as  a  dragon,  but  looks 
like  a  lamb."  Its  appearance  we  see,  yet  its  voice  is  dragonic. 
What  is  the  voice  of  the  dragon  ?  Simply  none  other  than  that 
of  the  devil  or  Satan,  whose  voice  is  the  teaching  of  adverse 
doctrines  to  those  of  Christ.  For  his  work  is  to  oppose  the 
truth  of  the  character  of  God,  of  Christ,  and  of  the  religion  of 
Jesus,  or  even  that  of  the  Christian  religion,  as  generally  under- 
stood and  taught  at  the  present  day.  And  with  great  swelling 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    UARE.  135 

words  and  bold  blasphemy  put  into  the  mouths  of  his  servants, 
the  leading  Spiritualists  and  mediums,  we  have  the  efflux  or 
pouring  out  of  the  dragonic  teachings  already  spoken  of  in 
Chapter  XIX  on  the  teachings  of  Spiritualism. 

And  our  firm  convictions  are,  from  the  teachings  of  the 
prophecies  and  Revelations,  that  these  doctrines  and  powers 
of  Spiritualism  will  ultimately  become  universally  taught  and 
practiced.  "  And  he  exerciseth  all  the  power  of  the  first  beast 
before  him,"  (viz,  the  Roman  Hierarchy).  "  And  he  causeth 
all,  both  small  and  great,  rich  and  poor,  bond  and  free,  to  re- 
ceive a  mark,"  etc.  This  mark  here  referred  to  (of  the  beast) 
we  understand  to  be  that  particular  recognition  sign  adopted 
by  the  "  Order  of  Eternal  Progression,"  known  as  Spiritualists, 
such  as  signs,  grips,  and  passwords. 

And  now  that  they  have  already  organized  themselves  into  a 
religious  sect  or  order,  called  the  "  NEW  CHRISTIAN  SCIENCE," 
it  requires  no  vivid  imagination  to  see  and  understand  that  this 
"  SUPREME  ORDER  OF  ETERNAL  PROGRESS,"  now  brought  for- 
ward before  the  Christian  world,  is  intended  to  become  the 

GREAT  NATIONAL  AND  UNIVERSAL  RELIGION  of  the  whole  world. 

For  Spiritualists  do  not  hesitate  to  declare  their  expectation  of 
this  universal,  predominant  faith. 

This  beast,  to  which  we  have  already  referred,  is  a  miracle- 
working  power.  "  And  he  doeth  great  wonders,  so  that  he 
maketh  fire  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight 
of  men.  This,  the  reader  need  not  be  surprised  to  behold 
any  day,"  as  the  Spiritualists  and  their  mediums  claim  direct  in- 
tercourse with  the  departed  Spirits  of  such  men  as  Franklin, 
Morse  and  others  ;  and  whilst  they  deny  their  ability  to  have 
any  direct  control  over  spirits  generally,  yet,  on  the  other  hand, 


136  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    HARM. 

they  do  absolutely  claim  to  be  able  to  control  certain  spirits  at 
their  own  will  and  pleasure,  and  when  they  will,  provided  that 
the  light  of  day  has  been  withdrawn,  or  tJie  artificial  light  is  but 
dimly  shown. 

The  beginning  of  these  fire  working  wonders  seems  to  have 
been  seen  in  the  celebrated  "  fire  test "  of  1).  D.  Home,  in 
England.  He  took  live  coals  in  his  fingers,  plucking  them  out 
of  the  bed  of  fire  in  the  grate,  and  placing  them  on  his  naked 
hand,  or  on  the  hands  of  others,  and  in  their  hair,  without  leav- 
ing a  mark  of  smut  much  less  a  burn,  or  without  singeing  a  hair. 
It  was  seen  also  in  the  State  of  Michigan,  some  time  ago,  at  a 
place  where  a  young  medium  worked  as  a  domestic,  that  fire 
would  break  out  in  trunks  which  had  been  unopened  for  months, 
and  in  carpets  where  there  had  been  no  stove  or  fire  for  months. 

All  this  was  attested  by  many.  It  has  also  been  clearly 
shown  in  the  State  of  California,  that  similar  instances  have  oc- 
curred repeatedly,  one  of  which  at  this  moment  present- 
to  our  mind  :  that  of  a  boy  some  twelve  or  fourteen  years  old, 
of  whom  it  was  positively  declared  that  he  had  been  seen  to  set 
fire  to  haystacks  when  he  was  quite  a  distance  away  from  them, 
simply  by  looking  towards  them,  and  burn  them  up.  The  same 
also  with  barns  and  stables,  and  he  actually  did  set  fire  to  and 
burn  up  his  father's  barn,  house  and  stable. 

lie  also  was  expelled  from  school,  having  been  seen,  while 
sitting  at  his  desk,  to  not  only  cause  fire  to  break  out  by  a  look 
into  the  desk,  but  on  throwing  his  eyes  toward  the  ceiling  of 
the  schoolroom,  it  was  seen  to  take  fire,  and  had  to  be  extin- 
guished to  save  the  house.  In  the  same  way,  he  caused  a  fire 
to  start  inside  of  the  closed  closet  in  the  schoolhouse,  which 
had  not  been  opened  or  used  for  some  time.  He  also  set  fire 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  137 

in  the  same  way  to  one  corner  of  the  schoolroom  outside,  which 
also  had  to  be  extinguished ;  and  by  this  time  the  teacher  be- 
gan to  conclude  it  was  not  safe  to  have  such  a  mysterious, 
strange  young  salamandrine  on  the  premises,  and  therefore  ex- 
pelled him  incontinently. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  would  seem  that  there  are  many  very 
startling  and  strange  things  in  this  present  evil  age,  though 
golden  it  may  seem  to  be,  and  is  so  believed  by  many.  This 
most  wonderful  Order,  of  which  we  have  spoken,  viz,  the  "  Su- 
preme Order  of  Eternal  Progress,"  but  more  familiarly  known 
generally  and  locally  as  "  Sanctuaries,"  "  Supreme  Sanctuaries," 
being  organized  into  Counties,  States,  etc.,  all  of  which  are  pre- 
sumed to  be  supplementary  or  tributary  to  the  great,  grand, 
"  Supreme  Order  of  Eternal  Progress."  And  like  its  great  pat- 
tern, the  seven  headed  beast,  known  as  politico  religious  Rome, 
it,  too,  must  have  a  head,  a  leader,  and  that  leader  a  human 
being  claiming  supreme  powers,  as  we  have  already  shown  ;  and 
he,  too,  must  be  an  anti  Christian  ruler,  who  will  govern  ac- 
cording to  his  own  desires  and  will,  and  execute  as  a  despot 
his  own  inflexible  purposes,  "  none  daring  to  molest,  or  make 
him  afraid  "  ;  and  he  is  to  be  recognized  as  the  "  Supreme 
Head  of  the  Universal  Church,"  or  "  Order  of  Eternal  Pro- 
gression." 

John  the  Revelator  tells  us,  "  Here  is  wisdom  :  Let  him  that 
hath  understanding  count  the  number  of  the  deep,"  etc.  Be 
it  remembered  also,  that  this  Universal  Church,  which  Spirit- 
ualists purpose  establishing,  is  to  be  founded  upon  the  ruins  of 
an  overthrown  Christianity,  which  they  regard,  and  teach  con- 
cerning, as  having  already  had  its  day,  and  now  is  looked  upon 
by  them  as  so  much  rubbish  or  effete  matter,  ready  to  be  cast 


135  MOIHT.N    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

out,  or  asran-old  and  overworn  garment,  which  should  at  once 
be  laid  aside.  And  their  plans  are  manifestly  clear  and  plain 
to  every  intelligent  reader  and  thinker  at  the  present  day,  show- 
ing that  they  expect  to  accomplish  the  conquest  of  the  world 
and  the  overthrow  of  all  systems  of  religion,  peaceably,  if  they 
can  by  absorption,  but  if  not  in  this  way,  forcibly,  if  they  must, 
even  with  fire  and  sword,  together  with  all  the  panoply  of  war- 
fare, in  order  to  establish  universally  their  "  New  Dispensation." 

And  of  all  this  there  can  be  no  question  or  reasonable  doubt, 
according  to  the  signs  of  the  times  which  we  are  now  in  the 
midst  of.  And  that  the  Spiritualists  do  expect  a  "  coming 
man,"  to  take  the  reins  of  government  very  soon  into  his  own 
hands,  is  not  simply  a  whispered  thought  by  Spirits  through  the 
mediums  to  Spiritualists  generally,  but  it  has  already  become 
an  outspoken,  public,  and  fearless  announcement. 

And,  in  conclusion,  though  we  may  not  'be  a  prophet  such 
as  lived  of  old,  who  could  foretell  with  certainty  coming 
events,  even  thousands  of  years  before  they  transpired,  yet  we 
do  believe  in  all  seriousness  and  candor  that  we  can  see  suffi- 
ciently clear  before  us  just  now  to  prognosticate  with  unerring 
certainty  future  events  yet  to  be  fulfilled,  which  lie  immediately 
before  us. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  139 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

What  the  Author  Thinks  he  Believes,  and  What  he  Thinks  he  Does  Not 
Believe  about  Some  Things.   Addressed  to  Every  Reader,  Personally. 

READER,  the  above  two  lines  will  at  the  first  glance,  no 
doubt,  appear  paradoxical,  which,  however,  it  is  not  intended 
to,  and  might,  perhaps,  be  more  plainly  expressed  as  follows  : 
What  we  believe,  or  think  we  do,  and  what  we  do  not  believe, 
or  think  we  do  not  ! 

It  is  sometimes  marvelous  to  contemplate  what  a  single  mis- 
placed comma,  semi-colon,  colon,  period,  interrogation  point  or 
exclamation  point,  or  even  the  accentuation  of  a  single  word 
in  the  wrong  place,  or  the  mis-spelling  or  omission  of  a  letter 
in  a  word,  will  result  in,  often  changing  the  construction  or 
meaning  of  a  word  or  sentence  so  as  to  render  it  paradoxical, 
ambiguous,  or  complicated,  vague  and  uncertain  as  to  the  ac- 
tual import  or  meaning,  and  thus  result  often  in  untoward  mis- 
chief, causing  serious  losses  or  damage,  or  even  possibly  the 
loss  of  valuable  life. 

So,  also,  as  to  matters  of  actual  belief  or  unbelief,  or  a 
single  incident,  which,  however  trivial  it  might  seem  at  the 
time,  may  be  the  direct  or  indirect  cause  of  the  most  marvel- 
lous events,  even  in  the  history  of  nations  or  the  whole  world. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  corroding  jealousies,  frantic  rage, 
poisonous  rancor,  adulteries,  self-murder,  and  sanguinary  wars, 
grew  out  of  the  abduction  of  Helen  of  Troy,  and  also  from  the 
episode  of  Marc  Antony  and  Cleopatra,  and  thus  has  it  been 
from  that  epoch  of  the  Egyptian  sorceress  down  to  our  day. 
Some  will  also  remember,  perhaps,  Pascal's  remark,  that  if 


140  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

Cleopatra's  nose  had  been  longer  or  shorter,  the  course  of  his- 
tory would  doubtless  have  been  changed.  Had  Jesus,  the  son 
of  Joseph  and  of  the  lineage  of  David,  never  been  born,  the 
Christian  religion  would  not  have  been  established  even  in  his 
day,  and  if  his  chosen  disciples  had  not  believed  in  his  resur- 
rection from  the  dead  and  ascension  up  to  heaven,  that  religion 
never  would  have  been  perpetuated  down  to  the  present  time  ; 
arad  if  Cleopatra  had  not  been  a  beauty,  or  if  that  charm- 
ing and  often  fatal  gift  had  not  been  inherited  by  others  of  her 
sex,  or  in  other  words,  if  beauty  had  not  been  given  to  woman 
with  all  other  fascinating  charms,  none  can  doubt  that  sorrow 
and  wretchedness  untold  never  would  have  sprung  to  curse  the 
earth  and  creature  man  on  that  account. 

Hut  then  on  the  other  hand,  could  the  species  of  man  have 
been  propagated  without  a  helpmate — woman — all  family  ties 
and  other  similar  associations  never  would  have  existed,  and 
man  therefore  would,  indeed,  have  but  been  one  single  remove, 
if  indeed  so  much  as  that,  from  the  brute  creation,  and  there- 
fore lived  only  as  a  barbarian.  Or  if  the  marriage  covenant 
had  never  existed,  or  should  it  even  now  be  abolished,  an  un- 
measured amount  of  petty  tyranny  grinding  toil,  heart-break- 
ing anguish  and  bereavement,  and  the  most  brutal  treatment 
often  from  husbands  to  wives,  never  could  have  existed  or 
would  exist  now.  Then  as  to  the  matter  of  human  government, 
what  is  it  after  all,  but  one  long  record  of  the  most  cruel  op- 
pression ?  We  cite  the  cruel  deeds  of  tyrants,  of  the  Pharoahs, 
the  Neros,  the  Napoleons,  and  even  of  the  Czar  of  Russia,  and 
many  other  governments  which  have  existed  and  do  still  exist, 
continually  waging  the  most  cruel  and  bloody  wars  instigated 
by  their  rulers,  and  such  a  bloody  record  of  the  dynastic  strug- 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  141 

gles  that  if  they  were  all  written  down,  the  world  would  scarcely 
contain  the  book.  And  yet  we  would  ask  any  rational  and  in- 
telligent reader,  even  though  he  be  an  Infidel,  Atheist,  Deist, 
or  Spiritualist,  Has  human  government  ever  been  a  bane,  or 
is  it  still,  per  set 

We  would  also  ask  the  same  reader,  if  he  be  a  Sceptic,  What 
is  there  bad  in  religion  ?  (That  religion  we  here  refer  to  being 
a  belief  in  the  Tri  une  God,  which  we  understand  to  be  love 
both  to  God  and  men,  the  requirements  of  which  are,  "to  do 
justly  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God." 
( Micah  6  :  8.)  What  harm  then  can  it  do,  therefore,  to  practice 
it  ?  Is  it  hurtful  to  a  neighborhood,  town  or  city,  or  civil  com- 
munity ?  Can  any  one  read  history  with  the  least  attention, 
and  fail  to  see  the  beneficent  influences  growing  out  of  the 
Christian  religion  ?  To  vindicate  Christianity  therefore,  would 
seem  like  eulogizing  the  sun,  by  asserting  that  there  was  light 
before  the  sun  first  rose  in  heaven.  In  the  darker  ages  of 
Paganism,  and  in  the  gladiatorial  exhibitions  in  the  bloody 
amphitheatre  of  old  Rome,  the  collosal  ruins  of  which  still 
stand  as  a  monument  of  the  dreadful  curse  of  heathen  idolatry, 
and  worship  of  Bacchus  and  the  sun-God,  when  unfortunate 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  innocent  victims  who  had  been 
brought  under  yokes  and  chains,  as  trophies  from  bloody  con- 
flicts on  battle  fields,  and  cast  into  this  arena,  there  to  be  man- 
gled and  torn,  and  devoured  alive  by  ferocious  and  hungry  wild 
and  savage  beasts,  let  loose  from  the  dark  and  yawning  subter- 
ranean vaults  beneath,  while  the  bloody  tyrants,  monarchs, 
decemvirs,  priests,  potentates  and  kings,  together  with  the 
dense  multitudes,  numbering  many  tens  of  thousands,  upon 
their  encircling  scats,  gazed  with  admiration  and  unspeakable 


142  MODERN  SPIRITUALISM  LAID  BARE. 

delight,  and  with  savage  yells  cheered  the  hungry  beasts  as  they 
devoured  their  living  victims  of  human  flesh  and  blood. 
Hence,  the  ancient  historian  in  thus  chronicling  such  scenes, 
"  Homo  ignoto  lupus  est,"  (Man  is  a  wolf  to  the  stranger). 

Had  the  Christian  religion,  as  taught  by  the  meek  and  lowly 
Nazarene  and  his  disciples  in  their  day,  then  prevailed  in  pa- 
gan Rome,  surely  such  scenes  as  we  have  described  would  not 
have  been  enacted  to  blacken  the  fair  pages  of  ancient  history. 
We  learn  of  but  one  only — Seneca,  a  Roman  writer — who  dis- 
approved of  gladiatorial  rights.  Even  the  younger  Pliny  ap- 
plauded the  provisions  made  by  a  certain  person,  as  well  as  by 
Trajan,  for  these  bloody  amusements ;  and  though  Trajan  is 
called  mild,  and  so  he  was  in  comparison  with  many  of  the  em- 
perors, after  his  victories  on  the  Danube  he  put  ten  thousand 
men  in  the  arena,  who  continued  for  months  to  soak  the  sands 
with  their  blood.  In  those  days,  the  number  of  male  children 
supported  were  ten  times  that  of  girls,  which  clearly  indicated 
that  the  infanticide  of  the  female  was  prevalent.  Children  de- 
serted by  their  parents  were  reared  by  a  special  class  of  slave 
dealers,  in  order  to  sell  them  as  slaves. 

At  the  same  time,  Aristotle  and  Plato  were  philosophers  of 
the  greatest  repute.  Aristotle  defended  slavery,  on  the  ground 
that  the  slave  is  an  animated  tool  Plato  discountenances  any 
interest  in  the  poor  when  they  are  sick.  The  laboring  man  who 
could  not  recover,  the  tradition  was  either  to  abandon  or  ex- 
periment upon.  By  referring  to  the  Jewish  religion  in  those 
days,  we  learn  that  among  them  alone  the  spirit  of  fraternity 
and  charity  prevailed.  He  (the  Jew),  alone,  according  to  his 
ritual  and  sincere  belief  in  his  God,  left  in  his  field  the  sheaf  of 
grain  or  scattering  straws  for  the  gleaner,  and  in  the  vineyard 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  143 

the  bunch  of  grapes  for  the  needy.  When  the  States  of  anti- 
quity fell,  the  Stoic  dreamed  of  a  cosmopolitan  State,  but  it 
remained  only  a  dream. 

Christianity  then  came  into  the  world  with  a  new  command- 
ment— to  "  LOVE  ONE  ANOTHER."  It  brought  in  the  principle  of 
the  brotherhood  of  man.  It  broke  down  all  barriers  of  country 
and  clan.  It  united  the  Greek  and  barbarian,  the  rich  and  the 
poor,  the  high  and  the  low,  the  master  and  slave,  all  around 
the  Lord's  table,  where  all  differences  were  merged  into  frater- 
nal unity.  They  dispensed  alms  with  an  open  hand  to  the  poor 
and  needy,  wherever  found.  Self  sacrifice  among  Christians 
was  one  of  the  noblest  of  common  virtues.  The  indigent,  the 
oppressed,  the  desponding  invalid,  the  toiling' slave,  took  heart 
and  hope.  There  was  sympathy  for  them  here  on  earth,  and  a 
bright  hope  beyond  the  grave. 

And  would  to  God  that  the  same  Christian  principles,  as 
taught  by  Jesus  and  his  disciples,  were  more  fully  exemplified 
by  those  who  profess  his  name  in  this  our  day  and  age.  Chris- 
tianity survived  persecution.  It  was  stronger  than  Rome, 
stronger  than  pagan  fanaticism,  stronger  than  all  the  arts  and 
wiles  of  Satan  and  his  emissaries  combined  to  overthrow  it.  It 
displaced  the  old  religion.  Amidst  the  decay  of  all  to  which 
the  hearts  of  men  had  clung,  the  bright,  the  shining  star  of 
Bethlehem,  which  lured  the  wise  men  on  their  way  to  behold 
the  place  where  the  infant  Jesus  laid,  now  shone  forth  as  never 
before,  and  Christianity  became  the  sole  stay  and  hope  of  a  fal- 
len world. 

But  what  is  Christianity  ?  In  answer  to  this  question,  we 
maintain  it  to  be  facts  and  doctrines  underlying  and  enzoning 
the  infallible  Word  and  universal  Truth.  But  what  is  Truth  ? 


144  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    DARE. 

Under  the  most  trying  circumstances,  the  vacillating  and  cow- 
ardly Pilate  asked  this  same  question  of  the  suffering  Jesus,  and 
without  awaiting  an  answer,  he  turned  away. 

Christians  believe  in  the  supernatural  mission  of  Jesus,  in 
his  divine  Sonship,  in  the  authority  of  his  teachings  and  of  the 
teaching  of  his  Apostles,  in  his  spotless  excellence  and  purity, 
in  his  miracles,  in  his  death  and  resurrection,  and  in  his  ascen- 
sion up  to  heaven. 

They  also  believe  that  God  has  established  a  Kingdom  in 
the  world,  a  Spiritual  Kingdom,  the  foundations  of  which  were 
laid  in  the  remote  past ;  that  it  began  even  in  the  creation  of 
man,  or  before  "  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  or  the  Sons 
of  God  shouted' for  joy."  That  it  embraced  within  its  folds 
Adam  and  Eve,  our  progenitors  ;  also  Abel,  Seth,  Enoch,  and 
Noah  before  the  flood.  And  that  it  was  further  propagated  in 
the  separation  of  one  man — Abraham — from  surrounding 
atry,  and  in  the  segregation  of  the  multitudinous  nation  whirh 
sprang  from  him  from  the  idolatrous  people. 

That  this  Kingdom,  founded  and  sustained  by  a  spiritual  or 
supernatural  Providence,  was  carried  along  from  stage  to  stage, 
and  generation  after  generation,  until  its  consummation 
tainment  to  a  fully  ripe  and  universal  form  through  Jesus 
Christ.  We  understand  that  Science  is  from  the  Greeks,  and 
Law  is  from  the  Romans,  but  that  "  Salvation  is  of  the  Jews." 

And  though  strange  and  mysterious  as- the  ways  of  God  may 
seem  to  many,  from  among  the  Jews  Christianity  sprung.  Re- 
ligion was  the  ope  absorbing  idea  and  interest  of  that  people, 
as  it  never  has  been  of  any  other  since  the  world  began.  "And 
the  Son  of  Man  was  the  Son  of  David." 

From  the  foregoing  remarks,  it  will  be  seen  that  we  are  nat- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  145 

urally  brought  to  the  important  facts  of  the  gradual  progress 
of  divine  revelation.  And  hence  we  see  that  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  and  its  unfoldings  down  to  its  complete 
development,  was,  "  First,  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  then  the  full 
corn  in  the  ear." 

We  now  think  and  believe  that  we  have  pretty  clearly  estab- 
lished the  facts  as  to  the  spiritual  existence  of  the  true  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  disciples,  as  we  believe. 

And  it  now  remains  to  simply  mention  before  closing  this, 
the  last  chapter  of  this  book,  some  things  which  we  do  not  be- 
lieve, and  this  we  will  do  as  briefly  as  possible.  But  we  will 
just  here  add,  before  proceeding  further,  not  altogether  by 
way  of  apology,  for  it  will  be  apparent  to  every  reader  that  the 
object  of  this  little  treatise  has  not  been  that  of  discussing  or- 
thodox or  heterodox  (so-called)  subjects,  pertaining  to  the 
Christian  religion,  or  the  subject  of  polemics,  as  relates  to 
Scripture  teachings,  but,  before  closing,  we  feel  impelled,  from 
our  own  convictions  and  other  outside  pressure  that  has  been 
brought  to  bear  upon  us,  to  clearly  vindicate,  as  far  as  may  be 
able  in  so  brief  a  space,  our  own  individual  views,  we  were  al- 
most ready  to  say,  as  we  have  seldom,  if  ever,  heard  the  sub- 
ject discussed  as  we  ourselves  believe  and  maintain. 

And,  to  come  more  directly  to  the  subject  which  pertains  to 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  we  will  relate  a  single  instance  of 
our  own  personal  experience  which  bears  upon  the  subject,  and 
which  occurred  some  years  ago  in  the  City  of  Rome,  while  re- 
siding there*. 

Having  suffered  for  some  days  and  nights  the  most  intense 
and  poignant  anxiety  under  heavy  pressure  of  mind,  such  as 
few  persons  have  ever  lived  to  endure,  so  intense  was  the  suf- 


146  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID  BARE. 

fering,  lasting  for  a  whole  week,  during  which  time  no  food,  no 
rest,  no  sleep  was  taken.  And  the  nature  of  the  anxiety  was 
such,  that  although  the  occasion  of  all  this  seemed  to  be,  and 
was  believed  by  many,  actual  or  real,  yet  it  was  attended  with 
the  deepest  and  most  dreadful  suspense.  During  this  time,  the 
physical  wants  having  been  overlooked  and  forgotten,  and  the 
whole  mind,  soul,  strength  and  body  having,  as  it  were,  been 
completely  wrought  up  to  the  utmost  tension,  and  then  wholly 
absorbed,  together  with  the  exertion  of  every  human  effort,  eith- 
er physical  or  mental,  that  could  possibly  be  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  accomplishment  of  a  single  object,  or  the  awaiting  of 
final  results. 

But  not  to  hold  the  reader  in  longer  suspense,  we  will  not 
here  state  the  immediate  cause,  but  it  will  be  found  in  the 
closing  pages  of  this  book. 

And  after  the  mind  had  become  in  a  great  measure  relieved, 
and  the  heavy  pressure  upon  the  brain  taken  off,  the  bodily 
functions  were  now  found  to  be  in  such  an  abnormal  condition, 
from  what  seemed  to  many  supernatural  over-endurance,  that 
a  re-action  of  course  must  necessarily  follow.  But  this,  unfor- 
tunately for  me,  came  in  a  much  more  severe  and  dangerous 
form  than  I  had  reasonably  expected  or  possibly  could  have 
anticipated,  viz  :  that  of  a  most  virulent  fever,  known  as  the 
"Febris  perniciana  Romana,"  i.  £.,  the  pernicious  fever  of 
Rome.  This  fever,  as  it  is  well  known,  is  generated  from  the 
lagoons  and  low  lands  in  the  Campagna,  and  has  existed  from 
time  immemorial ;  and  although  many  of  the  peasantry  and  na- 
tives of  the  city  and  country  take  the  disease,  and  often  re- 
cover from  it  through  treatment  from  the  native  physicians, 
yet  it  has  become  proverbial  that  a  foreigner  who  contracts  the 
disease  in  Rome  seldom,  if  ever,  recovers  from  it. 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  147 

On  finding  myself  in  a  critical  condition,  I  was  conveyed  to 
the  hospital,  where  I  remained  for  many  weeks,  hovering  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  between  life  and  death,  if  indeed,  I  were  alive 
in  the  body  all  the  time.  How  soon  after  I  was  placed  there, 
I  lost  all  consciousness  and  reason,  I  know  not.  Nor  do  I 
know  how  long  I  remained  in  that  place  or  that  condition,  be- 
fore the  very  first  impression  of  consciousness  returned,  which 
I  well  remember  to  this  day,  and  which  was  that  I  found  myself 
exceedingly  ill,  and  so  feeble  that  I  could  neither  move  hand 
or  foot,  much  less  raise  my  head  from  its  pillow.  And  then  I 
began  to  sensibly  realize  my  condition  and  the  thought  occurred 
to  me  :  Am  I  yet  alive,  and  if  so,  how  long  may  my  life  last 
in  this  condition  ?  And  whilst  thus  musing,  a  dim  light  shone 
in  the  room.  I  glanced  around  for  the  purpose  of  better  sur- 
veying the  place  which  I  now  occupied.  The  weather  was  very 
warm,  the  windows  and  shutters  were  thrown  wide  open,  but 
cross-bars  were  placed  over  the  openings.  On  glancing  through 
one  of  them  as  I  lay  on  the  bed,  I  beheld  in  the  distance,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  a  beautiful  smooth  sea  of  water  ;  but 
suddenly  all  became  dark  except  the  dim  light  which  shone 
within,  and  the  bright  stars  and  blue  vaults  of  heaven  above, 
as  far  as  I  was  able  to  see.  Suddenly  I  beheld  in  the  distance, 
one  beautiful,  bright  star,  and  some  unknown  and  inaudible 
voice  said  to  me,  "  This  is  the  star  of  Bethlehem  "  ;  and  at  the 
same  moment,  a  beautiful  little  vessel,  decked  with  complete 
sails,  and  with  a  guide  who  sat  within,  drew  near  to  the  open- 
ing through  which  I  looked,  beckoning  to  me,  and  seemed  to 
say,  "  Come."  But  the  thought  at  once  occurred  to  me,  How 
could  I  ?  My  body  was  too  weak  to  move,  and  even  if  it  could, 
it  could  not  possibly  pass  through  the  small  opening  through 


148  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

which  I  looked.  And  whilst  thus  musing  both  in  some  sus- 
pense and  anxiety  too,  another  thought  occurred  :  Why  need 
I  trouble  myself  about  this  mortal  body  anyhow,  for  its  use  will 
be  of  very  little  consequence  just  now ;  when  the  good  angel  or 
whatever  spirit  it  may  have  been,  seemed  still  to  beckon  to  me 
and  say,  "  Let  the  body  remain,  and  you  come  away  without 
it."  And  becoming  at  once  impressed  with  the  thought  that 
this  was  possible,  I  made  an  effort  to  thus  rid  myself  of  a 
cumbrous  and  almost  lifeless  clay,  and  so  suffer  myself  to  be 
spirited  away ;  and  so  pressing  what  I  had  already  believed  to 
be  the  spirit  or  immortal  part  through  the  opening,  I  at  once 
seated  myself  in  the  little  boat,  which  speedily  moved  off,  not 
as  I  at  first  thought  it  would,  upon  the  level  sea,  but  the  whole 
scene  now  seemed  to  change,  and  instead  of  gliding  along  upon 
the  surface  of  the  level  ocean,  it  took  an  ascending  flight. 

Onward  and  onward,  upward  and  upward,  beyond  what 
seemed  to  be  the  confines  of  space,  and  through  the  realms  of 
higher  plains  far  away,  till  other  worlds,  to  me  very  strange  in- 
deed, were  reached.  During  this  time,  the  beautiful  star  of 
which  I  have  spoken  seemed  to  guide  the  way.  And  just  here, 
dear  reader,  I  pause  and  ask  you  to  pardon  me  for  not  leading 
you  further  on,  to  behold  with  me  scenes  which  lie  far  beyond 
this  earthly  sphere  which  we  now  inhabit,  and  having  gone  thus 
far  must  draw  the  veil.  Of  a  verity,  truth  is  indeed  stranger 
than  fiction,  and  the  reader  can  implicitly  rely  upon  the  strict 
truth  of  everything  here  written,  or  that  may  yet  be  written 
in  the  closing  .pages  of  this  book. 

And  now  to  return  more  directly  to  the  subject,  viz,  the  im- 
mortality of  the  soul.  We  will  here  remark  that  we  were  raised 
up  in  the  belief,  and  were  so  educated  and  taught,  that  the  soul 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  149 

is  immortal,  and  can  never  die.  And  we  continued  on  in  that 
belief  for  many  years,  till  quite  two  score  of  years  had  passed  by 
and  over  us,  and  until  experiences  in  life  had  taught  us  many 
things ;  and  much  study  and  reason,  and  with  it,  as  we  trust, 
more  knowledge  and  even  wisdom  from  that  Divine  source  from 
which  all  knowledge  and  wisdom  comes,  when  we  then  only  be- 
gan to  think,  as  it  were,  for  ourselves,  as  well  as  read  and  study 
for  ourselves.  And  although  we  had  read  the  Bible  over  and 
over,  again  and  again,  and  as  Paul  said  of  Timothy,  had 
been  "  trained  in  the  Scriptures  "  from  our  youth  up,  and  had 
even  gone  through  the  curriculum  of  a  course  in  theology ;  yet, 
not  having  become  fully  satisfied  on  certain  points  in  theology, 
as  accepted,  and  believed,  and  taught  by  the  orthodox  school, 
we  now  determined  to  study  into  this  matter  more  deeply  than 
ever  before,  and,  if  possible,  thereby  learn  a  better  way  of  think- 
ing and  believing  than  that  which  we  had  already  been  taught, 
and  had,  indeed,  attempted  to  teach  others,  and  which  was 
more  in  harmony  and  accord  with  the  inspired  Word  of  God. 

And  we  now  feel  ready  to  praise  and  bless  his  Holy  name 
that  we  have  been  brought,  as  it  were,  from  thick  darkness 
into  light,  such  as  we  had  never  experienced  or  seen  before, 
and  to  see  and  understand  many  things  that  are  contained  in 
the  Holy  Scriptures  in  very  different  light. 

And  so  we  have  learned  not  to  believe  many  things  we  once 
did  believe,  and  not  to  believe  all  we  may  hear  preached  or  spok- 
en by  those  claiming  to  be  teachers,  who  know  no  more,  or  at 
least  seem  to  us  not  to,  than  we  ourselves  once  knew,  and  be- 
lieved, and  taught.  But  we  have  not  the  time  or  space,  nor,  in- 
deed, is  this  the  proper  place,  to  discuss  any  one  of  those  gross 
errors  to  which  we  might  refer,  and  which  are  to  be  found  in 


150  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE. 

books  of  discipline  and  confessions  of  faith  which  govern  the 
various  creeds  and  sects,  and  their  teachings  and  practices, 
which  many  of  them  so  honestly  and  sincerely  believe  to  be 
true,  and  in  strict  accord  with  Divine  revelation  and  Scripture 
teaching. 

We  have  said  we  cannot  find  time  or  space  to  notice  any  of 
these,  unless  it  be  one  only  ;•  and  this  single  one,  which  bears 
directly  upon  the  subject  that  lies  before  us,  condemnatory  of 
the  false  teachings,  as  predicated  by  those  who  thus  believe,  be 
they  whom  they  may ;  and  for  the  better  showing  up  to  the 
general  reader  of  these  absolutely  false  premises,  this  book  has 
been  evolved,  viz,  The  immortality  of  the  soul.  And  just  here, 
we  can  at  once  see  the  average  Christian  reader,  at  least,  at  the 
very  first  mention  of  such  a  thing  as  a  disbelief  in  this  pleasing 
and  almost  universally  popular  doptrine,  feel  and  express 
amazement  and  even  seem  shocked  that  any  sane  person  should 
possibly  think  or  believe  otherwise  ;  and  that  certainly  no  Scrip- 
ture proof  can  be  found,  from  the  very  beginning  of  Genesis  to 
the  end  of  Revelations. 

And  now  we  here  ask  of  you,  in  all  candor  and  sincerity,  to 
be  true  to  yourself,  which,  as  you  know,  means  a  very  great 
deal ;  and  if  you  have  the  least  desire  to  learn  more  and  be- 
come further  instructed  on  this  wonderfully  important  subject 
— far  more  so  than  you  may  now  think — we  now  ask  you  to  let 
the  Bible,  the  inspired  Word,  be  our  vade  mccum,  and  let  each 
one  of  us  follow  it,  for  only  a  few  moments  at  this  time,  and 
so  learn,  indeed,  what  it  does  teach  on  this  grave  and  very  im- 
portant subject.  And  this  is  certainly  fair,  is  it  not  ?  and  sure- 
ly no  Christian  reader  can  object  to  this ! 

Then  let  us  to  the  brief  but  pleasing  task  now  before  us. 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  151 

And  first,  we  will  turn  to  the  sacred  record  as  we  find  it  reads 
in  I  Timothy  i  :  17  :  "The  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible, 
the  only  wise  God."  Here  we  see  God  is  immortal. 

2.  But  you  ask,   "Are  not  all   men   created  immortal?" 
Ans.     God  "only  hath  immortality, ." — I  Timothy  6  :  16. 

3.  Is  this  immortality  revealed  by  nature,  or  is  it  through 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  Gospel  ?     Ans.     By  the  appearing  of  our 
Savior  Jesus  Christ,   "who  hath   abolished  death,  and  hath 
brought  life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  Gospel." — II 
Timothy  i  :  10. 

4.  "  Who  hath  power  to  bestow  immortality  upon  man  ?  " 
Ans.     "The  gift  of  God  is  eternal  life,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord." — Romans  6  :  23. 

5.  Will  God  give  the  gift  to  all  persons,  whatever  their 
works  may  be  ?     Ans.     "  God  will  render  to  every  man  ac- 
cording to  his  deeds." — Romans  2  :  6. 

6.  What  will  be  the  end  of  those  who  obey  not  the  Gos- 
pel ?     Ans.     "Whose  end  is  destruction." — Philip  3:19. 

7.  To  whom  will  God  impart  immortality?     Ans.     "To 
them  who  by  patient  continuance  in  well  doing,  seek  for  glory, 
and  honor  and  immortality." — Rom.  2  :  7. 

8.  What  shall  be  their  reward?     Ans.     "Eternal  life."— 
Rom.  2  :  7. 

9.  Upon   what    conditions   may   we   obtain   this  ?     Ans. 
"  Fight  the  good  fight  of  faith,  lay  hold  on  eternal  blessing." 

10.  When  do  men  obtain  immortality — is  it  at  death  or  at 
the  resurrection  ?     Ans.     "  The  dead  shall  be  raised  incorrupti- 
ble."—I  Cor.  15  152. 

1 1.  How  shall  those  who  are  not  dead  become  incorrupti- 
ble ?     Ans.     "  We  shall  be  changed."— I  Cor.  15:32, 


152  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARK. 

12.  How  suddenly  and  when  will  this  change  take  place? 
Ans.     "  In  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump." — I  Cor.  15  :  32. 

13.  Will  this  change  be  of  the  internal,  or  external  and 
physical  and  corruptible  man.     Ans.     "  This  corruptible  must 
put  on  incorruption." — I  Cor.  15  :  53. 

14.  What,  then,  or  what  part  of  us,  becomes  immortal? 
Ans.    This  mortal  part  must/#/0;z  immortality. — I  Cor.  15  153. 
"  Then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  which  is  written, 
Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory" — Isaiah  25  :  18  ;   i  Cor.  15  : 
54.     l€  All  that   are  in  the  graves  shall   hear  his  voice,  and 
shall  come   forth.     They  who  have  done   good   [shall  come 
forth}  unto  the  resurrection  of  life.     And  they  that  have  done 

evil  shall   come  forth  unto  the   resurrection  of  damnation" 
—John  5  :  28,  29. 

"  There  shall  be  a  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just 
and  the  unjust." — Acts  24  :  15.  Which  shall  take  place,  how- 
ever, two  separate  and  distinct  times — first  the  righteous,  then, 
after  that,  the  wicked. 

Will  a  man's  final  destiny  be  in  accordance  with  his  previous 
life  on  earth  ?  It  surely  will.  "  Whatsoever  a  man  soweth, 
that  also  shall  he  reap." — Gal.  6:7.  "He  that  soweth  to  the 
flesh,  shall  of  the  flesh  reap  corruption.  And  he  that  soweth 
to  the  Spirit  of  God,  shall  of  the  Spirit  reap  life  everlasting. 
—Gal.  6 : 8. 

Where,  now,  just  at  this  present  time,  is  the  life  of  the  Chris- 
tian ?  (Whether  he,  that  is,  his  body,  be  dead  or  alive,  it  mat- 
ters not  to  us,  so  we  prove  the  point  we  wish  to  make  clear.) 
"Your  [the  Christian's]  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God."— Col. 
3  =  3- 


MODERN   SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE.  153 

"  Let  us,  then,  not  be  weary  in  well  doing  ;  for  in  due  sea- 
son we  shall  reap,  if  we  faint  not." — Gal.  6  :  9. 

But  what  shall  be  the  fate  of  those  who  sow  to  the  flesh  ? 
"They  shall  utterly  perish  in  their  own  corruption." — Gal.  2  :  2, 
j  2.  Can  anything  be  more  pointed  and  plain?  When  any  one 
or  any  creature  has  utterly  perished \  that  certainly  must  be  the 
end  of  that  person  and  creature.  Is  it  not  ?  "  The  wages  of 
sin  is  death." — Rom.  6  :  23. 

Is  this  death  here  referred  to  merely  a  bodily  death  ?  "  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die." — Ezek.  18  :  20. 

But  is  it  possible  for  man  to  be  destroyed  literally  and  abso- 
lutely— both  soul  and  body  ?  "  Fear  Him  is  who  able  to  destroy 
both  soul  and  body  in  hell.'" — Matt.  10:28. 

"  If  the  wicked  man  turn  away  from  his  wickedness  which  he 
hath  committed,"  /.  e.,  repents  with  a  godly  sorrow,  "and  turns 
to  God,"  what  then?  "He  shall  save  his  soul  alive" — Ezek. 
18  :  27,  28.  "He  shall  surely  live  ;  he  shall  not  die" 

But  "  when  a  righteous  man  turneth  away  from  his  righ- 
teousness and  committeth  iniquity  and  dieth  in  them,  for  his  in- 
iquity he  shall  DIE/'  But  how  about  this  ?  If  he  dieth  in  his 
iniquity -,  he  is  now  dead,  is  he  not  ?  And  yet  the  text  says  im- 
mediately following,  for  his  iniquities  which  he  hath  committed, 
shall  he  die :  this  certainly  refers  to  a  second  death.  For,  as 
we  read,  he  first  dies  in  his  iniquity  which  he  has  committed, 
and  then  afterwards  dies  for  his  iniquity. 

What  else  can  this,  then,  be  but  "  the  second  death  "  spoken 
of  in  Rev.  21:8,  and  reading  as  follows  :  "  But  the  fearful  [or 
dreadful],  and  unbelieving,  and  abominable,  and  murderers, 
and  whoremongers,  and  sorcerers  and  idolators,  and  all  liars, 
shall  have  their  part  in  the  lake  which  burneth  with  fire  and 
brimstone,  WHICH  is  THE  SECOND  DEATH." 


154  MODERN   SPIRITUALISM   LAID    BARE. 

ci  Brethren,  if  any  of  you  do  err  from  the  truth,  and  one  con- 
vert you  [/.  <?.,  bring  you  back  again,  or  enable  you  to  see  the 
truth,  and  then  accept  and  follow  after  it  accordingly],  let  him 
know  [/'.  e.,  such  a  one  know]  that  he  which  converteth  the  sin- 
ner from  the  error  of  his  ways  shall  save  a  soul  from  death,  and 
shall  hide  [conceal  or  put  away  out  of  sight  forever]  a  multitude 
of  sins." — James  5  :  19,  20. 

What  is  the  command  of  God  to  all?  "Cast  away  from 
you  all  your  transgressions,  for  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death 
of  him  that  dieth,  saith  the  Lord  God ;  wherefore,  turn  your- 
selves, and  live  ye." — Ezekiel  18:31,  32. 

What  was  our  Savior's  complaint  and  lamentation  concerning 
mankind?  "And  ye  will  not  come  to  me  that  ye  might  have 
life:' — John  5  :  40. 

How  does  God  manifest  his  love  to  men?  "God  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  on  him  should  not  [and  shall  not] /t-m//,  but  have 
eternal  life" — John  3  :  16.  And  "  There  is  no  otfier  name  giv- 
en, under  heaven  or  among  men,  whereby  ye  can  be  saved" 

Reader,  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  record  this  day,  that  I 
have  set  before  you  life  and  death ;  which  will  you  choose  ? 
We  have  plainly  shown  you  in  the  foregoing  that  God  alone 
hath  immortality  dwelling  in  the  light  or  in  him,  as  he  only  is 
the  light ;  and  if  man  in  his  mortal  state  possessed  this  immor- 
tality, why  should  he  be  required  of  God  to  seek  for  it  ?  Is  it 
not  therefore  more  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  gift  of  immor- 
tality is  from  God,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ? 

But  when  shall  we  obtain  it  ?  And  we  just  here  pause  to 
remark,  that  it  seems  strange  teaching  to  us,  at  least,  of  many 
theologians  at  the  present  day,  that  they  should  warp  and  twist 


MODERN   SPIRITUALibM   LAID   BARE.  155 

certain  texts  and  passages  of  Scripture  so  that  they  should  be 
caused  to  bend  to  their  own  peculiar  views  and  erroneous  doc- 
trines, preconceived,  inculcated,  and  derived  from  certain  tra- 
ditions, dogmas,  creeds  and  confessions,  and  not  the  Word  of 
God.  To  illustrate  :  Must  the  words  "  life  and  death,"  for  in- 
stance, mean  happiness  and  misery?  When  found  in  other 
books  that  have  ever  been  written,  they  would  simply  mean  "ex- 
istence," and  "  cessation  of  existence."  Again,  is  it  reasonable 
to  suppose  that  the  vast  numbers  of  passages  of  Scripture  in 
which  God  the  Father  and  Jesus  Christ  promise  life,  eternal  life, 
to  his  followers,  did  not  mean  literally  what  he  said?  This 
Christ  certainly  could  not  have  done,  if  all  men  had  immortal 
life  by  nature.  For  in  that  case,  the  wicked  will  live  through 
eternity  as  well  as  the  righteous,  which  we  expect  to  clearly 
prove  before  we  are  done  with  the  subject,  is  not  and  cannot 
be  the  case.  Are  we  to  suppose  that  death,  as  threatened  for 
the  punishment  of  the  sinner,  in  the  multitude  of  passages  of 
Scripture  in  which  it  occurs,  simply  means  loss  of  happiness  ? 
Can  it  be  supposed  that  infinite  wisdom,  through  divine  inspi- 
ration in  his  revelations  to  man,  would  only  have  used  such 
words  or  language  to  mislead  mankind,  keeping  them  in  doubt 
and  uncertainty  when  ignoring  the  way  of  salvation  ?  as  is  fre- 
quently done  by  Doctors  of  Divinity,  "  Holy  Fathers,"  so-called 
"  Reverends,  "  and  right  Reverend  Archbishops,  all  of  which 
titles  they  have  arrogantly  assumed  to  themselves,  but  belong 
to  the  Deity  only  ;  and  true,  every  word. 

Would  it  not  be  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  God  would 
have  given  to  his  creatures  learned  or  unlearned,  such  a  reve- 
lation of  plain  common  sense  as  people  could  easily  under- 
stand ?  Or  if  the  doctrines  are  taught  anywhere  in  the  Bible, 


156  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID   BARE. 

that  men  and  women  go  to  heaven  or  hell  immediately  at  death, 
and  then  hundreds  or  thousands  of  years  afterwards,  are 
brought  out  of  either  place  to  be  judged  so  as  to  determine 
which  fate  they  deserve;  can  the  rational  mind  conceive  of 
anything  more  irrational  or  unreasonable  ?  Would  it  be  right 
to  consign  a  man  to  the  State  prison  for  any  period  of  time, 
either  long  or  short,  and  having  remained  there  for  a  definite 
or  indefinite  time,  bring  him  out  again  for  trial,  to  ascertain  if 
he  deserved  such  punishment  ?  Why  should  such  prominence 
be  given  in  Scripture  teaching  by  those  who  attempt  to  inter- 
pret it,  to  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  if  the 
soul  is  as  capable  of  happiness  or  misery,  without  the  body,  as 
with  it  ? 

Can  there  be  any  reason  in  talking  about  a  "  death  that  never 
dies?  when  there  is  not  one  word  in  Scripture  to  sanction  such 
a  contradictory  phrase  ?  Would  it  not  be  just  as  reasonable  to 
speak  of  the  reward  of  the  righteous  as  a  life  that  never  lives  ? 
Can  there  be  shown  in  Scripture  teachings  the  forms  so  con- 
stantly used  both  in  sermons  and  prayers,  such  as  u  immortal 
souls,"  "never-dying  souls,"  "deathless  spirits,"  and  similar 
expressions,  anywhere  from  Genesis  to  Revelations  ?  If  so,  we 
have  never  yet  seen  them,  and  we  have  tried  to  read  carefully. 
Is  it  reasonable  to  say  that  eternal  death  and  eternal  torment 
are  synonymous  terms,  as  many  theologians  tell  us  ?  Or  how 
in  that  case  are  we  to  read  in  Revelations  21:4;  "  There  shall 
be  no  more  death  "  ?  And  now  to  come  directly  to  the  point 
Can  we  reasonably  believe  that  there  is  a  hell  of  fiery  torment 
and  ceaseless  misery,  "  weeping  and  wailing  and  gnashing  of 
teeth,"  dreadful  blasphemy,  and  cursings  of  God,  which  is  to 
exist  throughout  the  ceaseless  ages  of  eternity,  when  God  tells 


MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE.  157 

us  through  his  inspired  servant  (Rev.  21:5),  "  Behold,  I  make 
all  things  new  "  ?  Can  we  believe  in  the  eternal  torment  of  the 
wicked,  and  yet  believe  the  Scriptures,  when  we  find  in  them 
more  than  200  passages  which  plainly  affirm  that  they  (the 
wicked)  shall  DIE  ? 

That  "they  shall  be  CONSUMED."  That  they  shall  be  "  DE- 
VOURED." That  they  shall  be  "DESTROYED,  BURNED  UP." 
"  Shall  consume  away  like  smoke"  "Be  as  though  they  had 
not  been,"  etc.  Are  we  taught  to  believe  from  Scripture  teach 
ings,  that  God  is  such  a  vindictive  being,  that  his  justice  can- 
not be  satisfied  with  the  DEATH  of  the  offender,  but  that  he 
must  be  constantly  pouring  floods  of  liquid  fire  and  consuming 
wrath  upon  the  wretched  being  whom  he  has  created,  however 
sinful  and  desperately  wicked  he  may  have  been  while  he  lived 
on  earth  ;  and  that  this  must  continue  through  the  ever  rolling 
cycles  of  Eternity  ?  And  finally  :  the  Apostle  Paul  is  the  only 
writer  in  the  whole  Bible  who  makes  use  of  the  words  "  immor- 
tal" or  "immortality"  Nor  does  he  ever  apply  them  to  sin- 
ners. Nor  does  he  apply  it  to  righteous  or  wicked,  in  this 
world  ;  he  never  applies  it  to  men's  souls  at  all,  either  before  or 
after  death.  He  speaks  of  it  as  an  attribute  of  the  King  Eter- 
nal only,  i  Tim.  i  :  17.  He  declares  that  he  is  the  only 
possessor  of  it.  i  Tim.  6  :  16. 

We  have  already  shown  you  that  it  is  only  offered  as  an  object 
which  men  are  "to  seek  after"  by  patient  continuance  in  well 
doing.  Romans  2:17.  He  speaks  of  it  as  revealed,  or  brought 
to  light.  Not  by  heathen  philosophy.  Not  by  Modern  Spirit- 
ualism. Nor  anything  else  of  the  kind,  but  in  the  Gospel  of 
the  Son  of  God.  2  Tim.  i  :  10 

He  also  defines  the  period  when  it  shall  be  "  put  on  "  by  the 


158  MODERN    SPIRITUALISM    LAID    BARE 

saints  of  God  only,  and  fixes  the  time  at  the  resurrection  of 
the  righteous,  when  "  Christ,  who  is  our  life,  shall  appear. "- 
I  Cor.  52:54  ;  Col.  3:  4. 

Therefore  we  plainly  see  he  never  taught  the  immortality 
of  the  soul,  as  it  is  now  taught  by  Spiritualists  and  others ;  and 
hence,  when  he  declared  that  sinners  should  be  destroyed,  perish, 
die,  or  be  burned  or  devoured  by  fire,  he  did  so  unquestionably, 
without  any  mental  reservations  or  modern  theological  defi- 
nitions, such  as  have  been  taught  by  Papists  and  others.  In  a 
word,  he  said  just  what  he  meant,  and  meant  what  he  said,  and 
so  wished  to  be  understood. 

Kind  reader,  we  will  now  leave  the  subject  with  you,  having, 
as  we  believe,  clearly  shown  from  the  Scripture  teachings,  irre- 
fragable evidence  that  ought  not  to  be  misconstrued,  that  we 
have  nroven  the  doctrine  we  maintain,  and  which  we  set  out  to 
defend  in  this  chapter ;  and  if  such,  indeed,  be  true — and  to 
our  mind  it  cannot  admit  of  reasonable  doubt  or  further  con- 
troversy— then  we  have  taken  the  last  and  only  prop  away  from 
Spiritualists,  destroyed  their  sheet  anchor,  and  therefore  left 
them  nothing  at  all  in  support  of  their  doctrine  or  to  lean  upon.* 


PART  II. 


PART  SECOND. 


CONTAINING 


Appendix,  or  Continuation  of  Part  First, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR,  SKETCHES  OF   His   LIFE, 

AND  TRAVELS  AND  ADVENTURES  IN 

THE  UNITED  STATES, 


PALESTINE,  ASIA  MINOR,  ITALY,  FRANCE  AND  GREAT 
BRITAIN. 


ADDRESSED  AND  DEDICATED  TO  His  SON. 


INDEX. 


PREFACE  TO  PART  n 17  i 

APPENDIX 175 


CHAPTER  I. 
His  Early  Days — Addressed  to  His  Son .. 197 

CHAPTER  II. 

Memoirs  of  Early  Days,  Continued 206 

CHAPTER  III. 

Another  Talk  with  the  Boys 21 1 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Still  More  to  Follow 215 

CHAPTER  V. 
Reminiscences  of  Early  Days,  Continued 221 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Early  College  Days,  Continued 226 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Early  Recollections  of  Professional  Life 229 


v  y  s  _ 


1 68  INDEX. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Southern  Life  and  Scenes,  Continued.      More  Experiences  Given. . .  238 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  War  comes  on,  and  the  Southern  Rebellion  breaks  loose 247 

CHAPTER  X. 

My  First  Voyage  across  the  Atlantic.     Storm  at  Sea 255 

CHAPTER  XI. 

End  of  Voyage.    Tour  over  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales  and  England . .   262 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Paris  and  its  Environs  Briefly  Described.     On  to  Rome,  via  Switzer- 
land, Germany,  etc 27 1 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Scenes  in  Rome 278 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Homeward  Bound,  after  visiting  Naples,  Mount  Vesuvius,  Ilercula- 

neum,  and  Pompeii 287 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Voyage  from  Paris,  via  London  and  Liverpool,  to  America 292 


INDEX.  169 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Second  Tour  over  Europe.     Travels,  Scenes  and  Life  in  the  Orient, 

etc 297 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Travels,  Life  and  Scenes  in  the  Holy  Land,  Continued. . . , , 303 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Life,  Scenes  and  Experiences  during  the  Author's  Residence  in  Rome.  315 


PREFACE  TO  PART   II. 


TRUSTING  that  time  and  labor  have  not  been  spent  entirely  in 
vain,  in  the  first  part  of  this  book,  and  that  many  will  have  read 
and  yet  will  read,  with  some  interest  at  least,  before  turning  to 
the  following  pages,  and  having  done  so,  will  feel  that  their 
time  has  not  been  wasted  in  their  careful  perusal. 

And  however  widely  some  may  have  differed  with  the  Author 
on  some  points  and  in  some  things,  when  beginning  to  read 
its  pages,  or  later  in  the  work,  and  however  much  some  may 
continue  to  differ  with  him  after  reading,  he  earnestly  trusts 
that  he  has  been  sufficiently  explicit  and  clear  in  all  he  may 
have  said  or  written,  to  be  quite  plainly  understood  at  least, 
and  that  he  will  have  justly  merited  the  credit  of  being  sincere 
and  candid,  if  nothing  more.  His  earnest  desire,  further,  is 
that  it  may  also  appear  that  he  has  manifested  a  disposition 
both  for  truth  and  honesty,  as  he  himself  conscientiously  be- 
lieves, and  has  so  endeavored  to  teach. 

And  however  widely,  kind  reader,  you  and  he  may  still  con- 
tinue to  differ,  touching  many  of  the  views  and  doctrines  herein 
set  forth,  and  even  though  we  are  now  strangers,  and  may  ever 
so  continue  to  be,  all  he  now  asks,  or  indeed  can  reasonably 
expect  of  you,  as  an  intelligent  man  or  woman,  (it  being  pre- 
sumed that  these  pages  will  hardly  be  read  by  many  of  the  very 
illiterate  and  ignorant,)  is  that  you  will  endeavor  to  divest  your- 
self after  having  read,  if  you  did  not  before,  as  far  as  you  may  be 
able  to  do,  of  all  prejudice  against  the  Author,  in  whatever 


172  PREFACE. 

way,  or  for  whatever  seeming  cause,  so  that  you  might  thereby 
if  possible,  be  the  more  edified  and  instructed  by  having  read, 
than  could  otherwise  have  possibly  been  the  case.  Nevertheless, 
if  you  have  indeed  failed  to  do  this  thus  far,  we  would  most 
earnestly  request  you  not  to  read  any  further,  without  first 
turning  back  to  the  first  page,  and  carefully  re-reading  the 
entire  volume,  with  the  full  determination  that  if  there  is  indeed 
anything  good  in  the  book  you  will  see  and  understand,  and 
thus  be  the  beneficiary.  And  if  you  will  do  this,  the  Author 
promises  with  confidence  that  you  shall  not  be  disappointed^  even 
you  yourself  afterwards  being  judge. 

The  Author,  of  course,  lays  no  claim  to  infallibility,  any 
more  than  another,  or  indeed  any  other,  is  entitled  to ;  therefore 
it  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  errors  may  appear  in 
many  ways.  Nor  is  it  any  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  all 
who  read  will  be  well  content  with  what  they  read,  or  indeed 
quite  appreciate,  or  fully  understand,  all  that  has  been  said  or 
written.  Such  however  is  not  always  the  fault  of  an  author  or 
writer,  any  more  than  of  the  reader,  and  may  perhaps  be  the 
misfortune  of  both.  This  we  have  learned  from  personal  ex- 
perience, that  much  valuable  thought  and  information  may 
often  be  gained  from  a  second,  or  even  a  third  reading  of  many 
books,  which  has  been  entirely  overlooked,  and  lost  altogether 
in  the  first  reading.  And  as  prejudice  is  always  akin  to  if  not 
the  twin  sister  of  ignorance,  such  a  course  is  especially  recom- 
mended, where  such  a  sad  weakness  of  the  human  mind  exists 
in  the  reading  of  any  book  whatever. 

Trusting  that  the  foregoing  is  sufficiently  explanatory,  and 
being  so,  will  not  only  place  the  Author  in  a  more  favorable 
light,  perhaps,  with  some  than  heretofore,  as  well  as  prepare 


PREFACE.  773 

the  mind  of  the  attentive  reader  for  a  further  perusal  of  this 
small  volume,  and  of  these  succeeding  pages,  the  Author  would 
again  subscribe  himself,  your  obedient  servant  and  friend. 

Earnestly  trusting  that  if  you  have  not  been  led  to  see  more 
light  than  ever  before  concerning  the  things  of  which  the  fore- 
going pages  treat,  that  you  may  yet  be  enabled  by  DIVINE  AID 
step  by  step,  to  be  guided  in  the  way  of  ALL  TRUTH  by  Him 
who  alone  is  the  FOUNTAIN  AND  SOURCE  OF  ALL  LIGHT  and 
LIFE.  AND  THEN,  YOU  SHALL  BE  SATISFIED. 

Ever  Truly, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


APPENDIX. 


"  WHAT  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him  ?  " — Ps.  18:4. 
Why  God  should  take  knowledge  of  man  is  a  very  important 
inquiry  for  him  to  make,  for  it  should  be  a  very  great  concern 
to  him.  In  the  last  chapter  of  Part  I  of  this  book,  we  dis- 
cussed, as  far  as  space  would  allow,  his  mortality,  giving  Scrip- 
ture references  to  show  what  we  believe  concerning  his  natural 
state  of  existence.  And  the  question  would  again  naturally 
arise,  before  advancing  further  on  this  subject,  Have  we  a 
principle  which  will  live  forever,  independent  of  our  own  charac- 
ter or  of  the  direct  act  of  God  ?  And  to  answer  such  ques- 
tions correctly  largely  involves  our  views  of  other  Scripture  sub- 
jects, and  controls  them  accordingly. 

To  illustrate.  In  Revelations  :  "  That  sinners  shall  die,  and 
that  they  shall  be  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire."  If,  then,  man  is  to 
live  forever,  this  terrible  punishment  is  to  be  eternal  in  its  du- 
ration. We  also  read  (Rev.  5  : 13)  of  a  time  when  "every  crea- 
ture in  all  the  universe  of  God  shall  unite  in  ascribing  praise  to 
him."  If,  then,  all  men  are  to  live  forever,  the  time  must  come 
when  all  will  be  in  harmony  and  fellowship  with  God.  And 
hence  universal  salvation  must  also  be  true,  or  else  we  find  that 
the  Scriptures  are  contradictory  on  this  profound  subject. 

The  reader  is,  no  doubt,  aware  that  these  conflicting  views 
have  caused  much  trouble,  both  to  Christians  and  others  who 
are  not ;  and  are,  indeed,  the  foundation  of  the  teachings  of 
Confucius,  of  Buddhism,  and  of  other  pagan  forms  of  relig- 


176  APPENDIX. 

ion,  also  of  the  Greeks,  Roman  Catholicism,  etc.  For  exam- 
ple, Where  else  does  the  doctrine  of  Maryolotry  and  worship 
of  Saints  find  its  origin  ? 

But  now  let  us  take  another  view  of  the  subject,  viz,  that  of 
man's  mortality,  and  we  shall  at  once  see  that  these  difficulties 
will  all  vanish.  And  the  Scriptures  will  also  be  seen  to  be 
harmonious,  and  correct  views  can  also  be  held  of  botli  the 
goodness,  wisdom,  justice,  and  mercy  of  God.  But  is  man 
mortal? 

Let  us  examine  a  little  further  the  Word  of  God  on  this  point, 
and  then  see  if  the  Scriptures  do,  indeed,  speak  with  authority 
and  with  plain  teaching  on  the  subject  or  not  ?  In  a  former 
chapter  of  this  book  we  have  noticed  in  modern  theology  that 
such  terms  are  often  used  concerning  the  immortal  soul  of  man, 
such  as  "  the  never  dying  spirit,"  also  "the  endless  existence  in 
the  future,"  etc.  But  these  expressions,  we  have  also  assured 
the  reader,  are  not  Scriptural.  The  word  "  immortal  "  occurs 
in  the  Bible  but  once  only,  and  then  it  is  applied  to  God. 
(I  Tim.  1:17.)  The  original  word  from  which  it  is  rendered 
occurs  six  times,  and  in  every  instance  applied  to  man's  future 
condition  beyond  the  grave.  The  word  "  immortality  "  occurs 
but  five  times  in  our  English  version,  and  six  in  the  original, 
and  is  never  applied  to  natural  man,  but  refers  to  the  future 
state  only.  Some,  however,  maintain  that  immortality  is  self- 
evident.  But  is  such  the  case  ?  For,  as  we  have  seen,  it  is  an 
attribute  of  God,  "who  only  has  immortality,"  and  can  and 
does  impart  it,  as  he  will,  and  even  as  he  did  to  Christ  and  the 
angels ;  but  we  have  yet  to  find  that  he  has  (according  to  Scrip- 
ture teachings),  yet  imparted  it  to  man.  But  this  we  have 
shown :  that  it  is  something  to  be  earnestly  sought  after  by 
him. 


APPENDIX.  177 

It  is  needless  here  to  add  that  the  account  of  the  creation  in 
the  Book  of  Genesis  is  not  only  discredited  by  many,  but  often 
absolutely  denied,  which  practically  leaves  God  entirely  out  of 
the  question  in  determining  man's  creation  and  origin.  There- 
fore we  see  a  constant  disposition  towards  the  doctrine  of  evo- 
lution, Darwinism,  Spiritualism,  etc.,  viz  :  that  our  race  sprang 
from  the  lowest  order  of  animated  nature,  commencing  even 
in  the  mollusk  or  protoplasm,  as  we  have  before  mentioned, 
until  we  were  gradually  evolved  or  developed  from  next  to 
nothing,  step  by  step,  and  degree  by  degree,  till  we  now  find 
ourselves  what  we  are. 

Hence,  this  view  of  the  subject,  we  shall  at  once  see,  leaves 
out  entirely  the  creative  work  of  a  being  superior  to  man 
(which  has  been  widely  remarked  by  another).  Some  men 
hate  to  acknowledge  their  Creator,  and  make  the  man  of  today 
not  only  vastly  superior  to  the  first  pair  which  God  included  in 
his  creative  work,  and  pronounced  "  very  good,"  but  also  make 
him  superior  to  God,  the  Creator  himself.  We  are  taught  by 
Scripture  that  "  man  was  created  in  God's  own  image."  But 
the  claimant  for  man's  immortality  says  that  this  is  proof  suffic- 
ient for  the  same,  and  reasons  as  follows :  first,  God  is  immor- 
tal ;  second,  Man  is  in  God's  image  :  therefore,  Man  is  immor- 
tal. This,  we  see  is  a  syllogism. 

Let  us  try  it  again.  First,  God  is  omniscient,  omnipotent, 
omnipresent,  all-wise ;  second,  Man  is  in  God's  image  :  there- 
fore, he,  too,  is  omniscient,  omnipotent,  omnipresent,  etc.  And 
from  this" parity  of  reasoning  we  not  only  see  that  it  places  the 
creature,  man,  in  a  highly  exalted  position,  but  makes  him  quite 
equal  with  his  Creator,  God.  The  foregoing,  however,  we  at 
once  see,  proves  too  much,  and  according  to  all  rules  in  logic, 

8* 


178  APPENDIX. 

that  which  proves  too  much  proves  just  nothing  at  all.  As  we 
have  already  maintained,  God  has  a  form  and  person,  however 
different  this  may  be  from  the  teaching  in  the  Westminster  Cat- 
echism, which  tells  us,  "  He  is  without  body,  parts  or  passions." 
Christ,  we  are  taught,  is  "  in  the  express  image  of  his  Father's 
person  ";  also, <;  that  man  was  made  in  God's  image  " ;  but  this 
cannot  be  taken  in  a  spiritual  sense,  as  that  view  would  give 
him  all  of  God's  attributes  instead  of  a  single  one. 

We  have  also  referred  to  the  creation  of  man  out  of  the 
dust  of  the  ground,  and  of  the  breath  of  life,  which  was  breathed 
into  him  by  God,  his  Creator,  "and  he  became  a  living  soul.:> 
And  this,  we  understand,  many  honest  Bible  readers  and  oth- 
ers claim  for  man  as  the  origin  of  his  immortal  soul.  Such, 
however,  is  not  so  much  as  hinted  at  in  the  record. 

As  we  have  already  told  you,  when  first  created,  man  was 
simply  a  lifeless  form  of  inanimate  clay.  In  the  perfection  of 
art  and  beautiful  mechanism,  he  was  perfect  and  complete  in 
all  his  parts.  But  this  lifeless  body  yet  needed  the  direct  act 
of  his  Creator  to  put  this  machinery  in  motion,  and  this  was 
done  when  "God  breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life," 
and  man  now  became  a  living  soul.  Thus,  we  see,  when  the 
vital  principle  was  imparted,  man  lived ;  before  this  took  place, 
he  was  dead.  But,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  his  Creator 
did  not  stop  just  here,  but  yet  added  the  crowning  gift  to  this 
dual  form — the  tri-partite  nature. 

Hence,  man's  superiority  in  his  intellectual  capacity  of  think- 
ing and  reasoning  over  the  brute  creation,  and  with  this  intelli- 
gence and  knowledge  which  God  has  given  him  in  his  enlight- 
ened condition,  enables  him  to  realize  his  responsibility  to  his 
God. 


APPENDIX.  179 

We  read  that  "he  became  a  living  soul."  Are  we  to  under- 
stand, or  not,  by  this,  that  he  had  a  dead  soul  before  the  breath 
of  life  was  breathed  into  him  ?  Let  us  here  examine  a  little 
more  closely  the  meaning  of  the  terms  "  soul  "  and  "  spirit,"  as 
used  in  the  Bible.  There  are  four  terms  translated  "  soul  " 
and  "  spirit."  "  Nethesh,"  as  defined  by  Parkhurst,  a  celebrated 
scholar,  signifies  breath,  vital  principle,  life,  etc.,  and  this  an- 
swers to  "  soul."  When  Elijah  prayed  that  "  the  soul  of  the 
child  might  come  unto  him  again,"  the  word  is  Nethesh,  de- 
fined breath.  Repeated  instances  of  the  same  might  also  be 
given.  "  Ruach  "  is  also  another  word  translated  "  soul  "  and 
*'  spirit,"  and  has  the  same  primary  meaning  as  Nethesh.  The 
Greek  words,  Psuche  and  Pnuma,  also  translated  "  soul,  life 
and  spirit "  in  the  New  Testament,  are  likewise  defined  "  life 
principle"  the  "  breath,"  etc.,  but  also  have  different  meanings 
or  shades  of  meaning ;  no  one  definition  can  therefore  be  uni- 
iversally  applied.  The  words  "  soul  "  and  "spirit  "  sometimes 
refer  also  to  the  affections,  aims  or  objects  in  life,  vitality,  ani- 
mation, etc.,  and  not  in  a  single  instance  are  they  called  "  im- 
mortal "or  "deathless." 

In  the  above,  it  will  be  seen  that  we  have  called  the  reader's 
careful  attention  at  some  length,  that  he  might  be  better  ena- 
bled to  comprehend  the  great  importance  of  this  matter. 

By  turning  to  Ecclesiastes  12  :  7,  we  read  :  "  Then  shall 
the  dust  return  to  the  earth  as  it  was,  and  the  spirit  shall  return 
unto  God  who  gave  it";  and  this  passage  is  often  referred  to,  to 
prove  the  separation  of  soul  and  body  ;  the  one  to  moulder  back 
to  the  dust  from  which  it  was  taken,  the  other  to  dwell  on  un- 
ceasingly. 

But  does  this  prove  the  fact  ?     The  spirit,  we  are  told,  goes 


l8o  APPENDIX. 

to  God  who  gave  it.  Was  it  a  living  entity  or  of  Divine  essence, 
if  you  please,  when  God  gave  it  ?  If  such  indeed  is  true,  the 
preexistence  of  souls  is  also  true,  and  if  this  be  true,  why  should 
we  not  remember  things  which  have  occurred  before  the  soul 
ever  came  into  our  mortal  body  ? 

The  spirit,  we  understand,  which  goes  back  to  God  again,  is 
the  same  which  he  gave,  and  the  record  in  Genesis  shows  it  to 
have  been  "the  breath  of  life."  Job  tells  us  (34  :  14,  15),  "  If 
he  gather  unto  himself  his  spirit  and  his  breath,  all  flesh  shall 
perish  together,  and  man  shall  turn  again  unto  dust.'"'  Hence 
we  see,  the  spirit  returns  to  God;  he  gathers  it  unto  himself, 

AND  MAN  DIES. 

Thus  far  we  have  spoken  of  man  in  general,  wicked  as  well 

% 

as  righteous,  and  as  some  one  has  pertinently  remarked,  "If 
the  foregoing  proves  the  conscious  existence  of  man  after  death, 
it  brings  the  wicked  to  God  at  death,  and  therefore  dispenses 
with  a  judgment,  or  else  makes  the  judgment  at  death.  And 
then,  if  all  men  are  judged  at  death,  where  is  the  need  of  a  fu- 
ture judgment  such  as  we  read  is  yet  to  come  ?  Will  there  be 
mistakes  rectified  then  ?  " 

We  read,  Ecc.  3  :  22,  "  that  one  lot,  death,  is  common  both  to 
man  and  beast,"  and  the  question  is  raised  "  Who  knoweth  the 
spirit  of  man  that  goeth  upward,  and  the  spirit  of  the  beast  that 
goeth  downward  through  the  earth  ?  '  Here  \ve  see  again  the 
Hebrew  word  for  spirit  is  "  Ruach,"  which  means  the  breath 
of  life,  which  is  common  to  both  man  and  beast. 

But  as  we  are  plainly  taught  in  the  Word  of  God,  man  has  a 
possible  future,  which  the  beast  has  not,  and  as  we  have  said, 
in  this  particular  is  above  the  beast,  and  his  future  is  in  the  hands 
of  God,  and  if  he  seeks  for  immortality  beyond  the  grave  and 


APPENDIX.  l8l 

eternal  happiness  in  the  life  to  come,  he  has  the  promise  un- 
conditionally that  he  can  obtain  it  if  he  will. 

But  that  he  must  come  into  judgment  after  death  and  the  res- 
urrection of  the  body,  whilst  the  brute  beast  will  not,  is  clearly 
taught  in  the  Sacred  Scriptures.  Hence  the  contrast  of  up- 
ward and  downward  is  made  between  the  breath  of  man,  and 
that  of  the  brute. 

"  Fear  not,"  says  the  Savior,  (Matt.  10  :  28)  "them  which  kill 
the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the  soul ;  but  rather  fear  Him 
which  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell."  Just  so, 
says  one  ;  that  is  a  good  text  to  prove  that  though  the  body  may 
be  killed,  the  soul  still  lives  on  forever.  But  does  this  text 
prove  any  such  thing  ?  for  it  certainly  does  not  say  so.  And 
is  it  not  rather  a  proof  of  the  final  extinction  of  life  with  those 
who  do  not  fear  Him,  who  is  thus  able  to  destroy  ? 

We  have  already  mentioned  further  back  the  circumstance 
of  Moses  and  Elias  appearing  on  the  mount  of  transfiguration. 
Elias,  we  read,  was  translated  without  seeing  death,  (Matt.  17  : 
1-3)  and  so  far  as  relates  to  Moses,  we  have  already  discussed 
that  in  a  preceding  chapter. 

The  eminent  scholar  and  commentator,  Dr.  Clarke,  takes  the 
position,  which  seems  reasonable,  that  Moses  was  indeed  resur- 
rected (see  Jude  9),  after  his  burial  (no  one  knows  how  long), 
and  that  whilst  Elias  represented  the  righteous,  living  at  Christ's 
second  coming,  Moses  represented  the  resurrection  of  saints, 
also  at  Christ's  coming.  (Cor  5  :  8  and  Phil  i  :  23.) 

Many  seem  to  understand  that  when  the  Christian  dies  he 
becomes  immediately  present  with  the  Lord ;  and  the  Spirit- 
ualists of  the  "  New  Church  of  Christian  Science  "  teach  that 
angels,  just  at  that  particular  moment,  are  hovering  round  ready 


1 82  Al'l'LNDIX. 

at  the  last  departing  breath  to,  at  that  instant,  take  possession 
of  the  disembodied  spirit^  and  convey  it  HOME,  lest,  perchance, 
being  left  alone,  it  might  stray  away  somewhere  else,  or  into 
some  unknown  realm  of  space,  or  to  some  unknown  planet 
beyond  the  confines  of  space,  other  than  where  it  should  go,  and 
so  perhaps  get  lost  altogether. 

Hence  the  beautiful  poem — some  reader  may  remember— 
whose  lines  run  in  some  such  way  as  follows  : 

"  How  cheering  the  thought  that  the  angels  in  bliss 
May  plume  their  bright  wings  for  a  world  such  as  this  ; 
And  leave  their  blest  abode  in  realms  above, 
To  bring  some  sweet  message  to  the  friends  we  love. 

Aye,  they  come,  they  come,  to  snatch  some  poor  soul  from  death's 

cold  embrace, 
And  safely  convey  it  to  their  own  sweet  resting  place,"  etc. 

All  of  which  sounds  very  sweetly,  and  may  even  be  comfort- 
ing to  those  who  may  believe  such  things.  But  what  does  it 
prove>  or  does  it  indeed  prove  anything  ? 

In  the  above  texts  alluded  to,  Paul  is  here  speaking  of  the  glo- 
rious expectation  of  the  time  when  he  (now  in  the  assurance  of 
faith)  will  be  absent  from  the  body  and  present  with  the  Lord. 
"  Wherefore  we  labor"  he  tells  us,  "  whether  present  or  absent, 
we  may  be  accepted  of  Him." 

And  although  he  was  now  groaning,  while  in  this  (body) 
tabernacle,  on  account  of  heavy  burdens,  yet,  whenever  that 
time  docs  come,  be  it  when  it  may,  "  to  be  called  upon,"  he  wants 
to  be  sure  he  is  ready.  And  in  that  wonderful  lesson  in  I  Cor. 
15,  beginning  with  the  42d  verse,  he  tells  us  just  what  the  body 
is  when  it  dies,  and  just  what  it  is  when  raised  in  the  resurrec- 
tion, and  just  how  it  is  raised. 


APPENDIX.  183 

And  then,  after  assuring  us,  in  the  5oth  verse,  just  what  can 
not  be,  in  the  54th  verse  he  assures  afterwards  just  what  will 
be.  And  (I  Thess.  4:17)  he  tells  us  what  the  Christian  shall 
be,  viz :  "  So  shall  we  ever  be  with  the  Lord."  And  then 
again,  in  Phil,  i  :  23,  he  expresses  his  earnest  desire  to  "depart 
and  be  with  Christ/'  etc. 

But  he  does  not  attempt  to  tell  us  how  long  a  time  would 
elapse  between  his  "departure"  and  his  being  with  Christ. 
Then,  let  us  consider  a  little  further  what  he  says  in  II  Tim.  4, 
after  delivering  his  charge  and  counsel  to  his  beloved  and 
faithful  young  follower ;  in  the  6th  verse  he  says,  "  For  I  am  now 
ready  to  be  offered,  and  the  time  of  my  departure  is  at  hand,"  etc. 
Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  a  crown  of  righteousness  which  the 
Lord,  the  righteous  judge,  shall  give  me  at  that  day"  etc. 
See,  also,  Chap,  i  :  12,  18.  If  Paul  had  believed  he  was  going 
directly  straight  to  heaven  at  death,  do  you  not  think  he  would 
have  told  us  so  ?  But  he  tells  us,  "  Henceforth  there  is  a  crown 
laid  up  for  him,"  etc.,  which  he  shall  receive — when?  At  the 
same  day  the  other  saints  get  theirs,  viz,  the  day  of  Christ's 
appearing.  (Verse  8.) 

If  the  question  should  be  asked,  "  Why  does  Paul  connect 
his  '  departing  and  being  with  Christ '  so  closely  ?"  we  answer, 
Because  in  point  of  fact,  and  practically,  they  are  just  so  close 
to  each  other.  But  how  close  ?  And  to  illustrate  a  little  more 
fully,  the  same,  dear  reader,  as  if  you  were  to  lie  down  at  the 
close  of  A  tired  day,  and  drop  into  a  sound,  sweet  sleep,  and 
the  next  morning,  at  early  sunrise,  you  wake  up  again,  to  be- 
hold the  beautiful  bright  sun,  in  joy  and  gladness,  and  in  vigor 
of  health  and  life.  You  have  slept  the  long  night  through, 
without  having  awakened  till  morning,  though  you  might  have 


184  APPENDIX. 

been  roused  from  your  slumbers  at  any  hour,  as  it  was  only  the 
taking  of  natural  sleep  of  tired  nature,  and  not  the  sleep  of 
death,  which  knows  no  waking  till  the  resurrection  morn.  And 
just  so  we  understand  it  to  be  with  that  illustrious  old  saint 
and  martyr,  and  all  the  saints  before  and  since  then  who  have 
"  FALLEN  ON  SLEEP."  And  the  matter  of  time  in  the  sleep  they 
are  taking,  and  which  we,  too,  shall  take,  cuts  no  figure  what- 
ever ;  though  it  be  one  hundred,  a  thousand,  or  ten  thousand, 
years,  it  is  only  one  quiet  night's  rest — a  single  unconscious 
nap  of  sweet  sleep  !  So  you,  too,  slept  during  the  whole  night 
undisturbed,  and  very  probably  when  you  awoke  you  even 
thought  that  the  night  had  been  a  very  short  one,  as  to  you  it 
seemed.  And  so  it  is,  we  have  said,  with  all  who  rest  in  their 
graves  till  the  resurrection  day  for  the  dead.  "  They  know  not 
anything."  (Eccles.  9  : 5,  6  ;  12:7;  P<.  146  :  3,  4.) 

We  regret  we  have  no  further  time  or  space  to  pursue  this 
profound  and  deeply  interesting  subject  to  greater  length,  but 
trust  that  enough  has  already  been  said  in  these  and  preceding 
pages  to  set  some  to  thinking  at  least,  who  have  perhaps  never 
before  given  this  particular  phase  of  the  subject  a  careful  and 
thorough  investigation.  And  we  now  purpose  closing  these 
pages  by  adding  a  few  more  thoughts  further,  but  very  briefly, 
on  THE  FINAL  DESTRUCTION  OF  THE  WICKED.  OF  SIN,  ITS 
CONSEQUENCES,  AND  ITS  ULTIMATE  END. 

It  is  a  fact  so  well  known  as  hardly  to  need  repetition,  that 
nearly  or  quite  all  "orthodox  "  teachings  among  the  multiplied 
sects  and  denominations  of  different  names  have  always  main- 
tained, and  still  maintain  and  teach,  the  doctrine  of  eternal 
punishment  for  the  wicked ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  they  are  to 
be  cast  into  a  lake  of  fire,  to  be  burned,  and  there  to  burn  and 


APPENDIX.  185 

undergo  the  most  dreadful  tortures  that  can  be  conceived  of, 
throughout  the  ceaseless  ages  of  eternity.  And  this  doctrine 
we  were  taught  to  believe,  and  therefore  did  believe,  from  ear- 
ly infancy  or  childhood  for  forty  years ;  probably  because  we 
simply  took  it  for  granted,  for  the  reason  that  very  many  oth- 
ers, and  indeed  quite  all  we  knew,  believed  and  taught  the 
same.  And  this  was,  indeed,  a  very  dreadful  thing  to  thus  think 
of  and  believe. 

But  in  later  years,  and  after  more  careful  thought  and  dili- 
gent research,  and  almost  constant  study  of  the  inspired  Word 
of  God,  and  much  earnest  prayer  for  guidance  and  direction  in 
the  way  of  all  truth,  our  mind  has,  indeed,  been  forced,  as  it 
were,  not  only  to  undergo  a  decided  and  marked  change  on 
this  particular  subject,  but  also  on  others  of  equal  or,  perhaps, 
even  greater  importance,  concerning  the  actual  and  correct 
teachings  of  the  sacred  record.  And  now  we  most  affectionate- 
ly invite  the  reader  to  let  us  carefully  and  impartially  examine 
the  subject  for  a  few  moments,  with  due  regard  to  such  texts 
of  Scripture  as  we  may  find  bearing  upon  it.  And  before  pro- 
ceeding further,  we  will  just  here  lay  down  the  following  prop- 
ositions, to  be  proven  by  plain  Scripture  teachings,  as  our 
premises  : 

ist.  A  day  of  judgment  is  to  come  at  the  end  of  the  world, 
when  the  ungodly  or  wicked  men  and  devils  will  be  judged. 
2d.  Neither  class  are  to  be  judged  till  then.  3d.  It  will  take 
place  on  this  earth  ;  and  4th.  Then  the  wicked  will  be  de- 
stroyed, and  the  earth  restored  as  the  abode  of  the  righteous. 
All  the  above  is  not  a  new  doctrine  to  us,  but  has  been  fully 
believed  for  many  years,  not  only  by  us,  but  many  others, 
while  large  multitudes  of  Christian  men  and  women  of  today 


1 86  APPENDIX. 

quite  believe  the  same,  but  are  somehow  loath  to  acknowledge 
it,   because   it  is  not   perhaps  so  popular  as   other  doctrines 
taught  on  this  subject.     But  let  us  at  once  to  the  proof.     Acts 
17:31  tells  us  that  "  God  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which  he 
will  judge  the  world."   And  Jude  6  tells  us  "  that/a//*;*  angels 
are  reserved  unto  the  judgment  of  the  great  day."   In  John  12  : 
48,  the  Savior  speaks  of  those  who  reject  him,  that  shall  be 
"  judged  in  the  last  day."    2  Peter  3  :  7-10  and  Rev.  20 :  1 1-16 
also  teach  us  plainly  and  show  conclusively,  that  the  judgment 
is  at  the  end  of  the  world,  and  in  connection  with  the  resurrec- 
tion, as  well  as  the  destruction  of  this  world  and  of  the  wicked  ; 
and  such  Scriptures  can  not  be  denied  without  denying  the 
plain  teachings  of  God's  Word.     And  such  are  the  teachings, 
and  so  plain  that  it  would  seem  that  even  "  the  way-faring  man 
though  he  be  a  fool,  need  not  err  therein,"  or  in  correctly  un- 
derstanding, and  yet,  as  we  have  already  said,  the  doctrine  has 
been  and  still  continues  to  be  taught,  that  wicked  men  go  to 
hell  at  death,  and  Christians  go  to  heaven.     And,  then,  as  we 
have   already   shown,    we   have   the   strange  spectacle  of  the 
wicked  afterwards  coming  up  from  hell,  and  the  righteous  from 
heaven,  to  be  judged,  and  then  sent  back  again  to  their  pun- 
ishment or  reward.     Could  there  be  anything  more  inconsist- 
ent than  this?     Think  of  it  !     Send  a  man  to  a  place  of  pun- 
ishment for  guilt,  before  he  has  had  any  trial  or  been  sentenced. 
What  would  be  thought  of  such  a  court  or  high  tribunal  even 
in  our  land  ?     Nor  is  one  word  of  any  such  doctrine  taught 
in  the  Bible.     In  2  Peter  2:9,  we  are  told  that  "  the  unjust 
are  reserved  unto  the  day  of  judgment  to  be  punished."     Rev. 
11:15-18    tells  us    "after  the  kingdoms   of  the  world  hare 
become  the  kingdom  of  CHRIST."  the  time  tJien  arrives  or  has  ar- 


APPENDIX.  187 

rived,  when  is  "the  time  of  the  dead  that  they  shall  be 
judged." 

And  Jude  6  reads  :  "  And  the  angels  which  kept  not  their 
first  estate,  he  hath  reserved  in  chains  of  everlasting  darkness, 
unto  the  judgment  of  the  great  day."  The  general  doctrine 
also  taught  is,  that  the  devils  are  now  already  undergoing  their 
punishment  together  with  other  wicked  spirits,  somewhere  in  a 
place  called  hell.  But  if  so,  how  comes  it  that  many,  as  we 
have  every  reason  to  believe  and  know,  are  now  getting  in  their 
devilish  work  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land, 
and  just  as  Christ  found  when  he  came  upon  earth  eighteen 
centuries  ago,  when  they  were  heard  to  call  out  and  say  :  "  Art 
thou  come  to  torment  us  before  the  time?"  (Matt.  8 :  29.) 

Can  the  devils  be  in  hell  and  be  allowed  to  come  out  and 
traverse  this  earth,  committing  their  hellish  deeds,  and  then 
again  return  at  will,  or  as  they  will  ?  See  what  inconsistency. 
By  turning  to  Matt.  25,  and  reading  from  the  3ist  to  46th 
verse,  we  learn  that  even  while  many  righteous  are  unexpect- 
edly to  receive  their  heavenly  reward,  the  wicked  will  quite 
as  unexpectedly  be  sent  to  hell  to  receive  their  reward.  Can 
we  believe  that  they  have  been  there  all  these  1800  years,  and 
not  have  found  out  till  Christ  comes  with  his  holy  angels  to 
judge  the  world,  that  they  are  lost?  Surely,  if  they  have  been 
in  such  a  place  all  these  long  centuries,  they  would  have 
known  ere  this  their  eternal  doom. 

Read  the  2oth  chapter  of  Revelations,  and  we  learn  that 
"  after  the  sea  and  the  earth  give  up  their  dead  to  be  judged," 
that  then,  or  after  that,  "  the  wicked  go  into  the  lake  of  fire  "  But 
where  is  this  lake  of  fire  ?  Proverbs,  11:31,  teaches  that  "the 
righteous  shall  be  recompensed  in  [on]  this  earth,  much  more 


1 88  APPENDIX. 

the  wickedznd.  the  sinner"  "  Ah,"  says  the  Universalist,  "  that's 
my  doctrine;  that  suits  me."  But  is  it?  And  does  ill  Let 
us  see. 

First,  you  claim  that  all  men  of  every  class  get  their  reward 
in  this  life  as  they  go  along,  and  deny  future  punishment.  The 
text  does  not  say  they  shall  be  recompensed  in  this  life,  and  in 
the  next  all  get  home  together.  Not  one  word  of  this.  But 
the  time  of  recompense  is  in  the  life  to  come,  and  the  wicked 
and  the  sinner  "  much  more "  (abundantly).  And  as  we  are 
taught  and  shown,  as  in  Rev.  20,  and  Peter  3,  hell  is  to  be  on 
(or  in)  this  earth  ;  the  wicked  will  no  doubt  find  out  all  about 
it  when  the  time  comes.  See  II  Peter  3,  and  in  1 3th  verse 
look  for  u  new  htavens  and  a  new  earth,  wherein  dwelleth  righ- 
teousness." "Behold,  the  day  cometh  which  shall  burn  as  an 
oven,  and  all  the  proud,  yea,  and  all  that  do  wickedly,  shall  be 
as  stubble,  and  the  day  cometh  that  shall  BURN  THEM  UP,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  that  it  shall  leave  them  neither  root  nor 
branch."  (Mai.  4:1.) 

We  need  add  no  comment  here ;  all  is  plain  and  positive, 
without  any  spiritualizing.  It  is  here  plainly  shown  that  the 
utter  destruction  of  sin  and  sinners  takes  place  in  the  last  great 
conflagration,  when  the  trail  of  the  serpent  has  been  destroyed, 
and  the  earth  made  ay?/  abode  for  the  righteous.  No  figura- 
tive fire  of  a  "guilty  conscience"  is  here  spoken  of;  not  a  word 
of  it  anywhere  to  be  found  in  the  Bible.  The  fire  which  con- 
sumes the  wicked  also  "  destroys  the  world  and  melts  the  cle- 
ments."  Simply  a  guilty  conscience  can  never  purify  this  sin- 
cursed  earth  ;  for  "  the  wages  of  sin  is  death." 

As  we  have  before  shown,  numberless  texts  speak  of  the 
wicked  being  "destroyed  by  fire."  They  shall  perish"  Does 


APPENDIX.  189 

"perish "  mean  live  forever  in  torment  ?  "  They  shall  be  as 
ashes"  etc.:  "shall  be  consumed"  etc.  But  just  here  we  are 
met  by  the  objector,  who  tells  us  "  they  are  to  burn  with  un- 
quenchable fire."  Does  an  unquenchable  fire  burn  forever? 
Should  your  house  or  barn  be  set  on  fire,  it  would  only  continue 
to  burn  till  it  was  consumed,  unless  you  were  to  quench  the  fire 
by  water  or  any  other  possible  way.  Therefore,  such  would  be 
an  unquenchable  fire  till  it  finished  its  work,  "  forever  and  ever." 
And  so  with  the  fire  which  shall  consume  the  wicked,  because 
no  one  can  quench  it.  And  so  the  wicked,  says  Obad.  16, 
"shall  be  as  though  they  had  not  been"  And  so  are  the  u  fires 
of  Tophet,  which  were  ordained  of  old  in  the  valley  of  Hin- 
nom,"  near  Jerusalem,  and  which  were  kept  "burning  unquench- 
ably"  till  there  was  nothing  more  put  into  them  to  burn,  or 
until  they  were  changed  into  "the  valley  of  slaughter"  and  so 
" became  no  more"  See  Jeremiah  7  :  31,  32. 

There  seem  to  be  only  three  texts  in  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  that  are  so  much  as  claimed  to  prove  eternal  punish- 
ment, by  those  who  maintain  and  teach  it.  Let  us  briefly  ex- 
amine these  a  little,  and  see  just  how  far  they  may  be  thus  con- 
strued. 

The  first  of  these  occurs  in  Psalm  9:17:  "  The  wicked  shall 
be  turned  into  hell  [and],  all  the  nations  that  forget  God  " 
("and  "  is  omitted  here  in  the  original  Hebrew).  Here  we  have 
the  plain,  simple  declaration,  which  we  believe  to  be  true.  And 
as  it  is  the  first  that  occurs  after  the  world's  and  man's  history 
in  the  Bible  for  more  than  three  thousand  years,  and  more  than 
half  the  Scriptures  were  written  before  the  inspired  prophet 
uttered  these  words,  we  find,  if  allowed  to  reason  by  analogy, 
and  may  so  infer,  that  all  who  lived  during  this  long  period  died 


190  APPENDIX. 

without  ever  having  been  warned  of  their  impending  doom, 
which  is  not  God's  way  of  manifesting  either  his  displeasure  or 
his  love  towards  the  children  of  his  creation.  Besides,  this  text 
reads  "sliall  be"  as  an  act  yet  to  be  performed,  and  not  yet  hav- 
ing taken  place.  Nor  does  it  mention  a  word  about  their 
eternal  burning,  even  when  this  occurs.  And  this  being  the 
case,  is  it  not  only  reasonable  to  suppose,  if  the  length  of  time 
or  its  duration  had  been  definitely  fixed  in  the  mind  of  the 
psalmist,  he  would  have  been  very  likely  to  have  mentioned  it  ? 
But  as  he  is  silent  on  this  point,  so  shall  we  be. 

But  as  we  have  already  abundantly  shown  from  other  texts, 
"  They  shall  be  burned  up,"  "  Utterly  perish,"  "Be  consumed?' 
&c.  The  second  text  in  order  is  Isaiah  33  :  14  ;  "  Who  among 
us  shall  dwell  with  devouring  fire  ?  Who  among  us  shall  dwell 
with  everlasting  burning  ?"  Verse  13  in  the  context  might  also 
be  added. 

In  this  chapter  we  see  that  the  inspired  prophet  is  setting  forth 
the  threatenings  of  God's  judgments  against  his  enemies  and 
"  The  sinners  and  hypocrites  in  legion  " ;  /.  e.,  the  ungodly  and 
the  hypocrites  who  are  mixed  in  among  the  righteous  in  his 
Church;  and  should  indeed  be  a  very  solemn  warning  to  the 
multiplied  tens,  and  hundreds  of  thousands  in  the  Churches  to- 
day, who  have  taken  upon  them  the  NAME  OF  CHRIST,  and  have 
never  been  converted,  and  are  living  on  in  sin  and  the  life  of  a  hypo- 
crite, and  well  know  it;  and  yet  are  trying  to  hide  those  sins 
with  the  cloak  of  the  CHURCH,  or  a  form  of  godliness. 

But  be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out,  Num.  22  :  33.  And 
the  world,  the  non-professor,  not  only  will,  but  has  already, 
"found  you  out"  ;  often  indeed,  perhaps  before  you  even  knew 
yourself.  Ask  the  Sceptic,  Atheist,  or  Infidel  what  first  led  them 


APPENDIX.  191 

into  such  beliefs,  and  they  will  frankly  tell  you,  "  Dealings  and 
intercourse  with,  and  a  certain  knowledge  of,  false  professors 
among  the  Churches."  But  this  fact,  however  well  they  know 
it,  will  not  excuse  them. 

Daniel  12  :  2  is  the  third  and  last  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  we  would  call  attention  to.  "  And  many  of  them 
that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to  everlast- 
ing life,  and  some  to  everlasting  contempt."  Here  we  are  plainly 
taught  that  the  dead  are  asleep,  and  that  they  awake  when  the 
time  comes  to  receive  their  rewards,  whenever  that  may  be,  or 
whatever  may  be  their  rewards.  And  this  most  indubitably  will 
be  at  the  resurrection. 

The  righteous,  we  see,  awake  to  everlasting  life;  the  wicked 
to  everlasting  contempt.  But  is  it  necessary  they  should  live  for- 
ever, and  so  receive  punishment  forever ;  so  as  to  be  held  in 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt  ?  To  illustrate,  take  the  case  of 
Aaron  Burr  or  Benedict  Arnold.  More  than  a  century  has 
passed  since  their  acts  of  infamy  and  shame,  and  the  perpetual 
record  of  their  deeds  is  as  fresh  today  in  the  minds  of  the  pres- 
ent generation  of  American  people,  as  a  month  or  year  after  the 
betrayal  of  their  trust  took  place,  and  will  so  continue  imper- 
ishable, and  outlast  the  pages  of  modern  history,  and  is  therefore 
"everlasting." 

And  so  it  is  with  the  wicked,  not  by  the  righteous  only  but 
God  and  angels  too.  And  now,  having  as  we  trust,  made  this 
quite  clear  to  all,  we  will  briefly  consider  the  remaining  texts  in 
the  New  Testament,  of  which  there  are  only  half  a  dozen,  claim- 
ed to  establish  eternal  duration  of  punishment  to  the  wicked, 
whilst  hundreds  might  be  quoted  to  prove  their  annihilation  or 
destruction  forever* 


192  APPENDIX. 

Matthew  3d  reads :  "  He  will  burn  up  the  chaff  with  un- 
quenchable fire";  /'.  <?.,  the  chaff  shall  be  burned  with  fire  that 
shall  not  be  quencJied  or  put  out  till  the  c/iafis  all  burned,  and 
then,  it  is  both  natural  and  reasonable  to  suppose  the  fire  will 
go  out  of  itself,  having  nothing  more  to  bum  or  keep  it  alive. 
That  is  what  it  does,  or,  at  least,  that  is  according  to  the  usual 
course  it  takes. 

Who  ever  heard  of  a  house  or  barn,  or  any  combustible  mat- 
ter, continuing  to  burn  on  and  on,  after  everything  was  con- 
sumed into  smoke  and  ashes  ?  Even  the  great  fire  in  Chicago, 
some  years  ago,  did  not  do  this,  but  naturally  died  out,  or  was 
quenched  after  having  consumed  everything  within  its  reach. 

Jerusalem,  though  destroyed  according  to  the  prophecies  and 
threatenings  of  the  Lord  (see  Jer.  17  :  27),  some  thirty  differ- 
ent times,  as  history  tells  us,  and  seventeen  times  out  of  the 
number,  the  total  destruction  was  by  fire  that  should  "  not  be 
quenched"  And  yet  Jerusalem  still  stands  today  on  its  ancient 
site  and  debris  of  the  old  ruins  and  conflagrations,  which  so 
often  swept  it  away ;  and  now  scarcely  a  trace  of  such  is  to  be 
seen. 

So,  also  in  Mark  9 :  44,  46,  48  :  "  Where  their  worm  dieth 
not,  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched."  Popular  pulpit  and  Sun- 
day school  teachings  make  the  "  worm  "  here  mentioned  the 
^immortal  soul"  But  is  it  ?  Let  us  see  how  about  this.  And 
if,  indeed,  it  does  mean  it,  we  would  be  glad  to  know  the  truth 
of  it. 

First,  is  there  supposed  to  be  anything  immortal  or  indestruc- 
tible about  a  worm  ?  Surely,  no  more  so  than  we  might  expect 
to  find  "  wisdom  "  in  a  serpent%  as  we  read  in  Matt.  10  :  i  (> .  lie 
ye  wise  as  serpents"  etc.,  when  it  should  and  does  so  read  in 


APPENDIX.  193 

the  original,  "  Be  ye  wise  servants"  etc.,  which  you  see  makes 
a  marked  difference.  Is  there  any  wisdom  in  a  serpent  ?  There 
is  plenty  of  deadly  poison,  as  well  as  devlish  cunning,  but  cer- 
tainly very  little  wisdom.  "  Worm,"  therefore,  is  simply  made 
use  of  as  a  figure  to  express — express  what  ?  Certainly  not 
either  the  human  or  immortal  soul,  no  more  than  fire  here  men- 
tioned is  to  express  the  remorse  and  gnawings  of  the  sinner's 
guilty  conscience,  however  great  that  may  be  and  often  is. 

In  verses  43,  45  and  47  of  the  same  chapter,  the  hell  here 
mentioned,  instead  of  representing  the  same  term  "  Sheol"  in 
the  Hebrew,  or  Hades  in  the  Greek,  in  this  instance,  as  well  as 
in  others  also,  is  derived  from  the  Greek  word  Gehenna,  and 
directly  refers  to  the  same  which  we  have  before  mentioned, 
called  "  Top/iet" — the  hell  in  the  valley  Hinnom,  on  the  south 
of  Jerusalem,  ontside  the  walls  ;  which  valley  is  clearly  pointed 
and  described  to  this  day,  as  we  were  plainly  shown  when  visit- 
ing the  spot.  "  Gehenna"  i.  e.,  hell  in  " Hinnom"  (Greek.) 

Let  no  one  who  reads  this  be  longer  led  astray  on  this  sub- 
ject. Here,  this  hell  (fire)  was  kept  up  day  and  night,  from  gen- 
eration to  generation,  never  being  quenched.  And  into  it  were 
cast  the  bodies  of  animals  after  death,  and  in  every  stage  of 
decomposition,  such  as  caused  them  to  be  infected  with  living 
" worms"  which  fed  upon  them.  Does  any  one  suppose  they 
continued  to  live  on  in  this  fire,  any  more  than  the  dead  car- 
casses of  animals  remained  unconsumed  when  the  fire  was  suf- 
ficiently intense  to  burn  them  up  ?  No  doubt  they  were  often 
deposited  there  in  great  quantities,  even  when  the  fire  was/io/, 
(or  only  smouldering,  but  not  quenched},  for  be  it  remembered 
fuel  was  even  then,  and  ever  has' been  exceedingly  scarce  in  that 
land,  where  they  had  to  gather  stubble  and  thornbrush  and  dry 
camel's  dung,  and  place  them  in  their  earthen  ovens,  as  they 


194  APPENDIX. 

do  to  this  day — as  we  often  saw,  when  exploring  that  land — in 
order  to  heat  them,  that  they  might  bake  bread. 

No  coal  beds,  gas,  or  petroleum  there,  as  in  some  parts  of 
Europe  and  all  over  our  own  country,  and  wood  always  scarce. 
And  we  pause  here  to  remark,  we  have  sometimes  since  wear- 
ied and  grown  tired,  and  even  impatient,  with  such  nonsense  as 
the  general  interpretations  put  upon  such  texts  of  Scripture  as 
the  above  and  many  similar,  even  by  commentators,  theolo- 
gians, and  writers  of  great  learning,  profound  scholarship,  etc., 
and  their  knowledge  would  seem  unbounded  on  almost  every 
subject  and  in  almost  every  way,  except  the  one  simple  and 
single  way  only,  viz,  that  of  COMMON  SENSE,  in  trying  to  inter- 
pret and  expound  such  passages  of  Scripture. 

And,  although  we  have  not  tired  of  the  great  importance 
of  the  subject  before  us,  viz,  the  tternal  salvation  of  the  right- 
eous, and  the  eternal  damnation  of  the  nicked,  and  believe  and 
know,  i.  e.,  if  we  know  anything,  that  both  arc  true  and  in  strict 
accord  with  the  teachings  of  God's  inspired  Word  ;  and  al- 
though we  have  in  this  compendium  to  the  foregoing  treatise 
dwelt  upon  these  matters  of  such  deep  concern  to  every  one,  and 
though  we  might  continue  to  add  and  multiply  text  after  text 
of  Scripture,  all  of  which  would  corroborate  and  more  fully 
substantiate  our  Scripture  views  as  to  correct  and  true  Bible 
teachings,  yet  we  must  here  come  to  a  close,  after  adding  a 
few  more  very  brief  remarks  further,  concerning  the  general 
pulpit  doctrines  as  taught  for  some  generations  past,  and  are 
still  being  taught.  And  without  attempting  to  here  point  out 
many  which  we  are  taught  from  divine  teaching  to  understand 
and  believe  to  be  gross  errors,  we  will  only  refer  to  a  few,  and 
let  this  suffice  for  the  present,  at  least.  First,  what  we  conceive 
to  be  one  of  the  greatest  errors  to  start  with,  viz : 


APPENDIX.  195 


The  True  Character,  and  Attributes,  and  Essences  of  God,  the  Creator, 
as  Taught  in  the  "Westminster  Confession,"  and  so  accepted  and 
Taught  by  the  "Orthodox  Churches,"  so  called  generally,  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  There  is  but  only  one  living  and  true  God,  who  is  infinite 
in  being  and  perfection,  a  most  pure  Spirit  [true  and  right  alto- 
gether thus  far,  but]  invisible,  without  body,  parts,  or  passions." 
Can  any,  sane  man,  in  his  senses,  reason  out  the  ap- 
pearance and  nature  of  any  such  creature  in  the  whole  universe 
of  God,  much  less  the  DIVINE  AUTHOR  and  CREATOR  of  ALL 
THINGS?  Only  think  of  it !  He  is  first  very  truly  and  justly 
acknowledged  to  be  a  "  most  pure  Spirit"  And  yet  this  Spirit 
is  "  without  body  [or  form],  without  parts,  and  without  pas- 
sions^ Does  the  Bible  teach  it  ?  We  challenge  all  the  learned 
schools  of  theology  and  divinity  to  show  us  where  ?  Here  we 
see  at  once  God  is  robbed  of  at  least  three,  not  to  say  four,  of 
his  attributes,  and  thus  made  to  appear  as  a  nondescript,  diverse 
from  any  creature  ever  known  or  heard  of,  and  that  cannot  pos- 
sibly be  described,  only  as  an  intangible,  incorporeal  ENTITY, 
not  to  say  non-entity. 

But,  does  the  Bible  so  teach  us  ?  When  we  are  as  plainly 
told,  as  words  and  language  can  express  it,  in  Gen.  i  :  26,  27, 
(and  in  other  places) :  He  "  MADE  MAN  IN  His  OWN  IMAGE," 
"  in  the  image  of  God  CREATED  HE  HIM,"  etc.  What  can  pos- 
sibly be  plainer  than  this  ?  And  who  shall  deny  it,  except 
it  may  be  those  who  accept  the  Darwin  theory?  And  is  it  any 
wonder  indeed  that  there  are  many  such  today  who  do,  and 
that  their  numbers  are  multiplying  by  the  millions,  when  theo- 
logians, themselves,  preach  and  teach  such  things  ?  And  the 


196  APPENDIX. 

same,  we  may  again  add,  of  the  immortality  of  the  Sinner's 
Soul,  and  his  eternal  punishment,  never  to  come  to  an  end. 

Can  it  therefore  be  wondered  at,  that  religion,  as  taught,  is 
sadly  declining,  and  churches  becoming  less  attended,  although 
professors  may  be  constantly  increasing?  But,  where  is  the 
SPIRITUALITY  in  the  Churches  of  today,  that  burned  and 
glowed  in  the  hearts  of  its  believing  children,  even  in  the  days 
of  LUTHER,  CALVIN,  WESLEY,  WHITFIELD,  KNOX,  BUN  VAN, 
FLETCHER  and  others,  not  to  go  back  to  the  early  days  of  the 
Martyrs  ?  Truly  indeed,  may  it  be  said,  as  has  been,  by  some 
of  the  ministers  of  today,  that  religion  or  the  conversion  of 
souls  has  become  a  lost  art.  And  who  or  what  has  made  it  so  ? 
I  here  pause  for  an  answer,  and  now  close  the  book,  first  how- 
ever, by  dropping  a  single  suggestion,  which  my  earnest  prayer 
to  Almighty  God  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ  is,  that  it  may  find  its  way  to  the  hearts  of  not  only  all 
professing  Christians  who  may  read  this,  but  to  ministers  es- 
pecially, which  may  serve  to  assist  in  striking  the  keynote  to 
this  deeply  mysterious  and  seemingly  strange  problem,  and  thus 
aid  in  its  solution  by  simply  adding,  that  when  ministers  ask : 
"How  shall  this  alarming  fact  be  met  and  remedied?"  we 
answer :  "  By  preaching  the  TRUTH  as  it  is  taught  in  the  BIBLE, 
and  by  CHRIST  and  his  APOSTLES,  even  as  they  preached  and 
taught ;  and  then  you  will  have  done,  not  what  alas !  too  many 
now  do,  but  what  Paul  and  other  Apostles  did,  viz  :  —  DARED 
to  declare  the  TRUTH."  And  may  God  enable  all  his  ministers 
so  to  do,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  your  devoted  brother  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 


CHAPTER  I. 

His  Early  Days — Addressed  to  His  Son. 

My  dear  Boy:  As  you  have,  I  trust,  arrived  at  an  age,  and  have 
sufficient  mind  and  education,  to  enable  you  to  understand  and 
appreciate  the  following  pages,  from  which  you  will  learn  more  of 
your  Father  than  you  have  before  known  or  been  able  to  learn, 
it  will  now  be  my  pleasurable  task  to  proceed  at  once  with  the 
subject  in  hand  ;  and  will  begin  by  telling  you  that  which  you 
perhaps  have  been  too  often  sadly  aware  of,  as  well  as  myself, 
viz,  that  through  some  unforeseen  and  continued  overrulings  of 
an  ever  merciful  and  uncontrollable  Providence,  our  separation 
from  each  other  has  often  been  many  thousands  of  miles,  over 
land  and  seas,  even  for  a  number  of  consecutive  years.  And 
at  the  present  time  of  this  writing,  quite  three  thousand  miles 
lie  between  us,  and  more  than  two  years  have  rolled  their  cycles 
back  into  eternity  since  our  last  meeting.  And  although  in 
much  of  the  past,  which  to  me  seems  short  enough,  yet  per- 
haps to  you  very  long,  I  have  often  suffered  great  affliction,  and 
may  truthfully  add,  have  passed  but  few  well  months ;  and  the 
same,  inde'ed,  might  be  said  of  my  condition  ever  since  your  life 
began.  As  chronic  sufferers,  however,  seldom  elicit  much  sym- 
pathy from  those  who  enjoy  almost  uninterrupted  health,  I 
have  therefore  learned,  perhaps  earlier  in  life  than  many  do, 


198  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

that  it  is  better  to  refrain  from  complaining,  or  making  my  ac- 
tual condition  generally  known ;  and,  consequently,  endure  all 
as  far  as  Divine  strength  has  enabled  me,  with  as  little  com- 
plaint as  possible.  And  now,  having  said  quite  enough  relat- 
ing to  this  matter,  I  will  endeavor  to  recount  certain  incidents 
of  my  life,  even  from  early  childhood,  all  of  which,  however, 
shall  be  related  very  briefly.  And,  doubtless,  before  I  shall 
have  arrived,  say  at  about  your  present  age,  in  my  history,  you 
will  have  concluded,  of  a  verity,  as  has  been  remarked  to  me 
often  by  others,  that  my  life  has  indeed  been  a  checkered  and 
very  eventful  one,  for  very  often,  and  perhaps  more  times  than 
I  even  know  or  can  now  remember,  I  have  had  close  calls  to 
pass  over  "that  bourne  from  whence  no  traveler  returns,"  but 
a  most  merciful  and  ever  kind  Providence  has  continually 
watched  over  me  from  day  to  day,  and  every  hour,  all  through 
life's  journey  and  its  checkered  scenes,  down  to  the  j  r 
moment,  often  very  wonderfully  and  even  miraculously,  just  as 
He  has  done  for  you,  my  Son,  even  most  marvelously,  as  I 
shall  relate  to  you  at  the  proper  time  in  these,  our  personal 
memoirs. 

My  birthplace,  as  you  perhaps  may  have  been  already  in- 
formed, was  in  Bourbon  County,  Kentucky,  not  far  from  the 
Town  of  Paris,  (your  grandfather  and  mother,  my  parents,  be- 
ing Virginians).  And  though  some  unimportant  incidents  oc- 
curred even  in  infancy,  in  that  State,  yet  were  of  a  trivial  nature, 
they  would  only  Lerve  to  amuse,  rather  than  otherwise  impress 
you  ;  and  my  Parents,  at  my  very  early  age,  moved  from  that 
State  to  Indiana. 

We  will  pass  over  all  till  after  arriving  in  that,  then,  a  new 
country,  in  the  autumn,  and  after  passing  a  dreadfully  cold  win- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  1 09 

ter,  in  the  following  early  summer,  during  sheep-shearing  time, 
and  I  being,  as  well  as  I  now  remember,  only  four  years  old, 
was  sent  with  another  child  about  the  same  age,  by  my  father, 
with  a  coffee  boiler  to  what  was  known  as  a  gum  spring,  a  few 
hundred  yards  distant,  to  bring  a  pot  of  fresh  water.  The  spring 
boiled  up  from  the  ground,  and  a  section  of  a  very  hollow,  large 
beech  or  gum  tree,  a  few  feet  long,  had  been  sunken  down 
around  it,  hence  the  name  "  gum  spring." 

The  top  of  this  extended  perhaps  a  foot  above  ground,  whilst 
the  water  in  it  rose  up  quite  on  a  level  with  the  ground,  and 
being  slippery  on  account  of  moisture  around.  On  my  reach- 
ing over  to  dip  the  pot  of  water,  my  feet  slipped,  when,  to  save 
myself  from  plunging  head  foremost,  I  let  go  the  vessel,  and  at 
the  same  instant  caught  on  the  opposite  edge  of  the  gum,  with 
both  hands,  but  in  some  unaccountable  way,  turned  with  my 
back  downward  towards  the  water  instead  of  face,  and  in  this 
position  hung  by  hands  or  fingers  rather,  to  the  edge,  while  my 
feet  hung  outside  on  the  opposite  side.  During  these  moments 
of  dreadful  suspense,  the  little  fellow  with  me  in  the  greatest 
excitement  began  tugging  at  my  feet,  trying  to  pull  me  out, 
which,  of  course,  he  was  unable  to  do,  and  only  endangered  me 
the  more,  when  I  began  to  beg  piteously  to  him  not  to  do  so, 
as  I  began  to  feel  my  fingers  already  beginning  to  give  way  from 
the  opposite  side,  as  my  body  and  neck  began  gradually  sinking 
in  the  water  ;  and  then  told  him  to  call  loudly  for  his  uncle — 
my  father,  which  he  certainly  did,  as  lustily  as  I  ever  heard  a 
young  calf  bellow  from  the  most  dreadful  fear ;  and  the  sound 
instantly  catching  my  father's  ear,  few  were  the  moments  or  even 
steps  indeed,  before  he  reached  the  spot ;  but,  before  he  had 
done  so,  my  hold  was  then  quite  broken,  only  holding  by  the 


200  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE    AUTHOR. 

tips  of  my  little  fingers,  whilst  my  body  and  neck,  and  even  chin, 
had  sunken  so  low  as  to  let  the  water  begin  to  flow  into  my 
mouth  and  nostrils,  requiring  no  small  effort  to  breathe,  and  at 
the  same  time  keep  from  strangling.  Perhaps  five  or  ten  sec- 
onds more  would  have  sufficed  to  have  forced  my  finger  holds 
to  have  slipped  away,  when  I  would  have  gone  down,  and  would 
have  plunged  in  head  foremost,  just  deep  enough  to  have  let 
my  toes  or  feet  stick  up  above  the  edge  of  the  gum ;  and  whilst 
the  situation  as  it  was  was  not  pleasant,  the  last  mentioned 
would  have  been  less  so,  although  a  very  few  moments,  or  in- 
deed seconds,  as  it  was,  would  have  ended  all.  This,  I  scarcely 
need  add,  was  my  first  experience  of  perilous  conditions,  and 
though  scarcely  four  years  old,  yet  it,  as  you  see,  made  a  last- 
ing  impression  on  my  mind. 

My  second  rather  critical,  but  somewhat  miraculous  escape, 
occurred  a  few  years  later,  when  I  had  become  sufficiently 
large  to  ride  horses.  In  those  days,  the  modus  operandi,  for 
grain  (wheat)  threshing  was  the  following :  Those  who  were 
able  to  have  barns,  hauled  their  wheat  from  the  field  or  stacks 
to  the  barn,  and  filled  up  in  the  center  of  the  floor  quite  a 
heap  of  unbound  sheaves,  and  then  scattered  some  of  the  same 
around  it,  on  the  outer  border.  The  horses  were  brought  in 
and  started  around  on  it,  often  at  a  pretty  lively  gait,  too.  And 
of  course,  this  was  fun  for  the  small  boys,  for  the  first  few 
hours  at  any  rate,  to  ride  the  horses,  and  lead  another,  side  by 
side,  two  and  two.  But  when  that  thing  was  kept  up  some- 
times, day  after  day,  all  day  long,  for  a  week  or  more  perhaps, 
it  not  only  became  very  monotonous,  but  tiresome  too,  and 
often  even  painfully  so,  making  the  small  boys  feel  as  if  a  soft 
cushion  or  even  a  pillow  would  be  more  comfortable  to  sit  on, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  2OI 

than  the  sharp  vertebrae  of  some  old  Rosinante.  On  one  of 
those  occasions,  I  well  remember,  I  was  one  of  the  riders, 
whilst  my  oldest  brother  was  general  floor  manager,  whose 
position  was  that  of  a  central  figure  on  the  middle  heap,  or 
near  its  edge,  always  with  a  stout  wooden  fork  in  hand,  for  the 
purpose  of  doling  out  the  sheaves  to  be  trodden  under  the 
horses'  feet ;  and  whilst  thus  actively  engaged,  a  snake  was  seen 
to  dart  out  from  the  heap,  and  attempt  to  make  across  the 
floor,  just  ahead  of  the  horse  I  was  riding  and  the  one  I  was 
leading,  and  immediately  behind  the  heels  of  two  horses  in 
front.  This  I  saw,  and  seeing  was  to  determine  it  should  not 
escape,  and  so  instantly  sprang  from  my  perch  on  the  horse, 
without  so  much  as  halting  the  gait,  and  down  into  the  straw 
I  went,  at  a  single  bound,  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  seizing 
his  snakeship  in  my  hands  incontinently  ;  but  it  so  happened, 
however,  without  noticing,  my  big  brother,  your  Uncle  Banker, 
had  also  spied  the  snake  at  the  very  same  moment  I  had,  and 
he  too  was  equally  determined  with  myself  that  it  should  not 
escape.  Only  he  went  for  it  a  little  more  secundum  artem,  /.  e., 
according  to  the  art,  he,  having  a  good  stout  fork  in  hajid  quite 
six  feet  long,  two  prongs,  and  about  i  ^  or  2  inches  in  diame- 
ter, strong  and  well-seasoned,  which  he  had  raised  to  give  a 
tremendous  blow  upon  the  snake's  back  or  head ;  nor  did  that 
blow  fail  to  come  down,  nor  did  it  fail  in  effect  either,  for  just 
at  that  moment  my  cranium  happened  to  be  just  where  the 
snake's  head  should  have  been.  The  result  of  it  all  however 
was,  a  good  pitchfork  was  spoiled,  by  being  broken  squarely  in 
two,  and  a  certain  quick  motioned,  large  headed,  but  small  witted 
boy's  head  felt  no  better  or  easier,  for  a  while  at  least,  for  that 
stroke  from  a  pitchfork.  In  recounting  that  same  circumstance, 


202  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

to  that  sartie  brother  many  years  afterwards,  it  seemed  to  have 
quite  passed  out  of  his  mind,  and  so  I  have  ever  been  left  un- 
able to  decide  which  he  regretted  the  most,  the  loss  of  that 
pitchfork  or  the  escape  of  that  snake ;  but  I  have  never,  even 
yet,  forgotten  which  /  regretted  most. 

At  about  this  time  and  age  I  had  become  quite  large  enough 
to  attend  school,  together  with  other  brothers  and  sisters, 
some  older  and  others  younger.  In  those  days  a  district  school 
usually  held  about  three  months  in  the  year,  being  a  part  of  the 
winter  season,  and  the  district  from  a  mile  or  more  to  the 
"  temple  of  learning,"  which  consisted  of  a  square  hewed  log 
house,  chinked  and  daubed  with  mortar  between  the  cracks,  to 
keep  out  cold  ;  a  large,  tall  fireplace  at  one  end,  occupying  the 
greater  part  of  that  side  of  the  building,  into  which  huge  logs 
were  carried  or  rolled  and  piled  on,  together  with  smaller  wood, 
all  cut  in  sections  from  the  trunks  and  limbs  of  trees,  consist- 
ing of  the  beech,  the  sugar  tree,  the  hickory,  etc.,  which  gener- 
ally served  to  keep  the  "  Temple  "  comfortably  warm  even  in  a 
cold  day,  or  at  least,  one's  face  when  toward  the  fire,  whilst  the 
back  usually  had  to  suffer,  not  only  from  actual  cold,  but  not 
infrequently  from  another  cause,  viz  :  the  birch  limb,  which  was 
often  well  laid  on,  depending,  of  course,  somewhat  upon  the 
offense  of  the  little  reprobate,  but  generally  more  upon  the 
fierceness  of  the  ignorant  and  egotistical  tyrant,  whose  pleasure  it 
was  to  thus  exercise  his  Neroean  propensities  and  muscles,  when 
not  too  lazy  to  do  so,  and  which  of  course  warmed  up  a  little. 

And  in  thus  bringing  the  tough,  well-seasoned  bir  chrod  with 
brute  force  down  upon  the  usually  not  any  too  well  protected 
little  culprit's  back,  seldom  failed  to  not  only  raise  the  dust, 
but  even  make  well  defined  marks  over  his  epidermis,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR.  203 

would  likewise  have  cut  the  fur  too,  had  there  been  any  there  ; 
whilst  we  sat  upon  a  high  bench,  cut  and  split  from  the  half  of 
a  good  sized  tree,  the  split  side  of  course  upward,  because  it 
wasyfo/ — no  back  to  lean  against,  whilst  the  little  feet  dangled 
round  without  touching  the  floor  ;  and  in  this  position,  from 
early  morning  till  quite  dusk  in  the  evening,  except  an  hour's 
recess  at  noon,  and  sometimes  a  few  minutes  between  the  fore- 
and  after-noon,  we  were  compelled  to  sit  quite  steadily. 

Of  course,  there  were  some  large  or  well  grown  boys  in  at- 
tendance also,  whose  feet  would  reach  the  floor  when  sitting  on 
the  benches.  But,  of  course,  none  of  us  ever  failed  to  learn,  some 
of  our  teachers  sometimes  being  so  far  advanced  as  to  be  able  to 
work  sums,  in  the  single  and  even  double  rule  of  3,  without  be- 
ing compelled  to  "  sometimes  " — "  most  always  " — look  at  the 
key  they  generally  carried  on  the  sly,  in  their  coat  pocket.  And 
I  have  even  known  small  boys,  and  girls,  too,  or  not  to  exceed 
ten  to  fifteen  years  old,  begin  in  their  A  B  C's,  and  in  the  course 
of  one  full  session,  without,  perhaps,  missing  a  day  during  the 
whole  winter  (unless  when  the  snow  chanced  to  be  higher  than 
their  heads,  so  they  could  not  very  well  wade  through  it,  whilst 
the  mercury  stood  thirty  below  zero,  and  when  they  could  not 
wade  were  often  carried  on  their  father's  or  big  brother's  shoul- 
ders or  backs  all  the  way  to  school),  I  would  remark  that  I 
have  known  these  same  boys  and  girls,  too,  some  of  whom  not 
so  small,  after  thus  beginning  in  A  B  C's,  to  advance  so  far,  in 
one  full  term,  as  to  be  able  to  not  only  repeat  the  whole  al- 
phabet of  twenty  six  letters  (I  believe  the  English  has,  has  it 
not  ?)  from  actual  memory,  but  also  to  join  two  syllables  (and 
in  a  few  instances,  possibly,  three  short  ones),  such  as  ba-ker, 
sha-dy,  ti-dy,  etc.,  though  the  word  tidy  but  very  few  seemed 


204  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

to  quite  ever  understand,  or  have  the  least  appreciation  of, 
judging  from  the  often  unwashed  hands  and  faces,  as  well  as 
matted  hair,  all  plainly  visible  ;  and  then  the  "  arcgna  "  arising 
promiscuously  from  the  whole  school  generally,  especially  when 
doors  and  windows  were  all  closed  on  a  "  cold  day,''  and  the 
big  beech  log  fire  booming— I  say  the  aroma  thus  inhaled 
could  not  be  mistaken  as  to  the  cause ;  but,  of  course,  the 
closely  shut-up  schoolhouse,  say  twenty  feet  square,  with  from 
forty  to  fifty  boys  and  girls,  thus  shut  in  all  day  long,  without 
ventilation,  it  would  hardly  seem  was  just  the  thing,  or  in  ac- 
cord with  strict  hygienic  laws.  As  for  coughs,  severe  colds, 
etc.,  there  could  be  no  mistake  about  that,  as  each  one's  nose 
abundantly  testified,  from  the  long  appendages  often  seen  pro- 
truding, something  after  the  appearance  of  well  grown,  \ 
whitish  fish  bait,  such  as  is  found  under  old  logs,  or  even  dug 
up  from  the  earth,  and  have,  indeed,  been  known  to  rain  down 
from  above,  but  which,  however,  generally  found  a  lodgment 
upon  the  coat  or  jacket  sleeve,  which  often  became  very  smooth 
and  well  glazed  from  continual  use,  instead  of  a  pocket-hand- 
kerchief, which  very  useful  little  appendage  to  the  toilet  i 
seldom  seen,  if  indeed  heard  of,  much  less  in  use. 

The  school  house  floor  was  broad-hewn  puncheons,  the  ceil- 
ing and  roof  thin  oaken  clap  boards.  Of  course,  the  little 
games  of  ball,  "prisoners'  base,"  snowballing,  etc.,  were  always 
enjoyed  by  every  boy ;  and  even  the  school  master  sometimes 
condescended  to  take  a  hand,  "just  for  exercise,"  during  which 
he  generally  got  well  pelted  by  some  of  the  larger  boys,  none 
too  fond  of  him,  perhaps,  on  account  of  the  too  frequent  mark- 
ings of  their  epidermises,  which  seldom  failed  to  leave  a  rather 
painful  recollection,  at  least  for  a  while. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  205 

As  I  have  already  stated,  none  of  us  ever  failed  to  "  learn." 
How  fast  I  have  already  told  you,  but  just  how  "  much"  or  just 
"  what  all  "  we  did  learn,  I  of  course  have  not  told  you,  my  dear 
Boy ;  nor,  indeed,  can  I  do  so,  now,  or  at  any  time,  for  my 
recollection  on  this  point  is  perhaps  less  vivid  and  clear  than  it 
was,  even  in  those  halcyon  days,  which  were  quite  a  half  a  cen- 
tury ago ;  and  that,  to  you  no  doubt,  both  seems  and  sounds 
like  quite  a  while  ago.  But  with  such  illustrious  and  highly 
educated  (?)  Pedagogues  as  we  had  to  discipline  us,  can  it  be 
wondered  at  that  we  did  indeed  learn  fast  ? 


206  AUTOBIOGKATIIY    «>F     I  III*    AUTHOR. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Memoirs  of  Early  Days,  Continued. 

My  dear  Boy,  (or  rather  dear  boys  and  girls,  too,  as  these 
pages  are  addressed  to  every  school-boy  and  girl  into  whose 
hands  they  may  come,  and  who  may  take  an  interest  in  reading 
them),  in  my  last  letter  to  you  I  spoke  of  my  very  earliest  ex- 
periences in  the  schoolroom. 

And,  although  some  of  you  may  have  thought  it  a  little 
"rough  on  the  boys,"  yet  I  want  you  to  believe  me,  when  I  tell 
you  those,  were  among  the  happiest  days,  both  in  school  and 
out  of  it,  I  have  ever  experienced  in  a  life  of  half  a  century  ! 

True,  I  suffered  often,  in  more  ways  than  one;  most  chil- 
dren, you  know,  do.  Often  phthisicy ;  certain  seasons  of  the 
year  coughing  perhaps  quite  the  whole  night ;  often  keeping 
my  dear  Mother  and  Father  too  awake  most  of  the  night  wait- 
ing on  me ;  giving  me  a  little  lump  of  loaf  sugar  saturated  with 
sweet  oil,  or  possibly  spirits  of  turpentine,  to  relieve  the  cough 
and  wheezing,  then  rubbing  my  throat  and  chest  with  a  little 
goose  grease  perhaps,  and  applying  the  same  to  the  soles  of  my 
feet,  and  then  toasting  them  near  the  fire,  until  sometimes 
quite  blistered,  would  generally  give  temporary  relief. 

At  one  time,  I,  as  well  as  all  my  Brothers  and  Sisters,  and 
just  as  most  children  have  to  do,  at  least  once  in  life,  had  to 
pass  through  the  contagion  of  measles.  And  I  remember  no 
fewer  than  nine  of  my  father's  family  were  all  down  at  once, 
and  abed  with  that  very  sickening  and  often  dangerous  disease  ; 
and  after  long,  tedious,  close  nursing  by  my  mother  and  father, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  207 

days  and  nights  for  a  few  weeks,  we  all  began  to  convalesce. 
Although  my  father  had  the  measles  when  a  boy,  he  took  them 
again  a  second  time,  and  suffered  with  them  the  same  as  we 
had  done.  This  was  a  very  unusual  and  almost  unheard  of 
thing,  as  measles  is  a  children's  contagion  only,  seldom  appear- 
ing upon  persons  advanced  in  age,  and  the  rarest  thing  imag- 
inable that  any  one  at  any  time  in  life  should  be  attacked  a 
second  time. 

The  next  severe  epidemic  and  contagion,  as  well  as  I  re- 
member, was  whooping  cough ;  and  this  to  some  of  us  was 
very  severe,  lasting  for  many  months,  causing  us  to  cough  our- 
selves well  nigh  to  death.  But  this,  too,  like  the  measles, 
finally  came  to  an  end,  after  lasting,  however,  much  longer. 
The  next,  as  well  as  I  can  remember,  in  the  way  of  an  epi- 
demic was  "itch,"  and  although  very  disagreeable,  to  say  noth- 
ing more,  was  also  finally  gotten  rid  of,  though  often  torment- 
ing while  it  lasted. 

In  those  days  we  all  lived  on  a  farm,  that  being  my  father's 
vocation ;  and  as  autumns  and  winters  came  and  passed  away, 
and  spring  and  summer  succeeded  each  other,  my  age  as  well 
as  size  and  education  gradually  advanced  (with  but  little  thanks 
however  to  the  merciless  pedagogues  who  had  me  in  training), 
until  I  could  not  only  read  some  in  the  First  Reader,  but  had 
even  learned  to  read  the  New  Testament ;  and  having  also  be- 
come large  enough  to  weed  out  as  well  as  hoe  corn,  and  then 
to  plow,  at  about  the  age  of  ten,  I  then  thought  I  was  getting  on 
well  enough.  I  also  became  very  fond  of  reading,  especially 
the  New  Testament,  which  I  usually  carried  in  my  pocket  to 
the  field  with  me. 

And  as  a  test  of  verbal  memory  perhaps,  as  much  as  any- 


208  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR. 

thing  else,  before  starting  in  to  plow  across  the  field,  would  take 
out  my  little  Testament,  read  over  a  verse,  fix  the  same  in  mem- 
ory, and  then  start,  repeating  over  and  over  in  mind  or  words, 
till  reaching  the  other  end  of  the  row,  by  which  time  it  was  fully 
committed  to  memory.  Then  fixing  the  next  verse  in  my  mind 
before  starting  back  across  the  field,  would  commit  to  memory, 
and  store  it  up  likewise,  in  the  same  manner,  so  that  by  this 
means,  and  thus  continuing  all  day,  no  time  was  lost  but  a  very 
few  moments  at  the  end  of  each  row,  just  long  enough  to  let 
my  horse  which  pulled  the  plow  take  a  few  breaths ;  when  night 
would  come,  I  found  I  had  many  verses  in  my  memory.  And 
in  this  way,  I  remember  after  so  continuing  one  whole  week, 
on  the  following  Sunday,  in  Sunday  School,  I  stood  up  and  re- 
cited quite  one  hundred  verses  from  the  gospel  by  Matthew, 
beginning  with  the  3d  chapter,  and  so  continuing  on. 

And  my  dear  Boys,  the  same  verses  I  learned  then,  I  still  re- 
member to  this  day,  and  even  repeat  many  of  them,  just  as  I 
did  then ;  so,  that  you  will  see,  this  time  and  effort  was  well 
spent,  was  it  not  ?  Or  do  you  not  think  so  ?  First  for  these 
reasons,  if  none  other ;  it  not  only  assisted  me  in  learning  to 
read  better,  but  also  strengthened  my  mind  and  memory,  the 
better  enabling  me  to  learn  how  to  study  and  to  think.  But 
this  was  not  all,  for  it  taught  me  also  very  much  about  the  ]>i- 
ble  I  never  could  have  learned  in  any  other  way;  one  of  which 
things  was,  what  I  know  no  mortal  on  earth  knew,  and  it  is 
this  :  It  told  me  who  I  was,  and  what  I  was.  And  it  also  told 
me  that  the  reading  of  it,  the  Bible,  would  make  me  "  wise  un- 
to salvation,"  and  this  was  indeed  a  very  great  thing  to  learn, 
if  one  will  only  believe  it.  And  if  they  will  not,  why  not  ? 
Can  you  think  of  any  good  reason,  why  not  ? 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  209 

Those  days,  Boys,  as  I  have  already  told  you,  were  often  very 
happy  days  :  appetite  good,  and  sleep  sound  and  sweet.  Nor 
did  I  have  much  care  about  what  might  lie  before  me  on  the 
morrow.  But  times  have  changed  with  me  often  since  then. 
Sunshine  was  pleasant  then,  so  were  rainy  days,  for  on  those 
days,  if  we  could  not  go  out  to  work,  we  could  go  into  the  barn, 
and  "  play  fox  and  geese,"  or  wrestle  and  tumble  in  the  hay 
mow,  shuck  corn,  shell  corn,  or  what  not — all  was  fun  anyway, 
and  so  we  had  a  very  good  time  generally  ;  unless  we  some- 
times abused  our  freedom  and  great  privileges,  at  which  times 
we  generally  had  to  undergo  a  little  corporeal  punishment,  such 
as  being  brought  under  parental  authority,  by  the  use  of  a  good, 
broad  leather  strap,  which  proceeding  was  sure  to  be  premised 
by  a  very  befitting  moral  lecture,  which  invariably  hurt  much 
worse  than  the  strap,  which  was  usually  laid  on  in  the  lightest 
manner  possible.  I  well  remember  undergoing  no  fewer  than 
three  of  these  inflictions  one  morning  before  breakfast,  from  rny 
Father.  It  was  on  the  occasion  of  a  preacher,  a  very  excellent 
man,  having  made  us  a  family  visit,  and  staid  all  night,  and 
the  next  morning  he  took  occasion  to  pay  me  perhaps  a  little 
more  marked  attention  than  I  was  capable  of  appreciating,  from 
so  august  and  dreadful  a  personage.  And  in  my  disposal  of 
him,  I,  in  some  way  seemed  to  have  displeased  my  dear  Father; 
but  just  how,  I  never  did  exactly  know,  and  however  it  may 
have  been  or  was,  I  am  even  sorry  for  it,  which,  alas,  is  too  late 
now.  Be  it,  however,  as  it  was,  I  well  remember  first  and  last 
I  received  no  fewer  than  three  "  strappings  "  that  same  morn- 
ing, before  breakfast,  and  breakfast  did  not  come  late,  either. 
And  on  receiving  the  last  one  of  the  three,  I  began  to  conclude 
if  that  sort  of  diversion  or  exercise  had  to  be,  or  was  going  to 


210  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR. 

be,  kept  up  all  day  just  to  please  the  preacher,  I  wished  he 
would  go  home,  which  he  did,  after  breakfast,  with  a  well-filled 
"  commissary  department,"  such,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  but  few 
men  could  conveniently  stow  away.  I  am  sure  the  supply  at 
that  one  meal  would  last  me  at  least  three  days  now,  at  my  reg- 
ular rates  of  feeding. 

After  this  departure,  however,  things  went  on  better  with  me 
at  least,  although  his  visit  made  me  glad  twice  ;  first,  when  he 
came,  and  second,  when  he  went.  It  was  perhaps  a  little  wrong 
in  me  to  have  felt  this  way  about  it,  but  somehow,  I  could  not 
quite  help  it.  You  know,  Boys,  no  doubt  from  your  own  expe- 
rience, that  we  cannot  quite  control  our  feelings  always,  any  more 
indeed  than  some  boys  seem  not  able  to  control  their  actions, 
or  a  quick  or  hot  temper,  which  we  ought  to  strive  hard  against, 
for,  if  we  let  either  grow  upon  us,  it  is  sure  to  get  us  into  trouble 
sooner  or  later,  and  sometimes  very  serious  trouble  too,  and  not 
always  easily  gotten  out  of.  It  might  be  well  for  some  < 
Boys  who  read  this,  to  think  about  it  a  little.  I  know  just  how 
it  once  was  with  me,  and  though  I  may  not  have  considered 
the  consequences  then  as  I  do  now,  yet  I  do  know  it  often  got 
me  into  deep  trouble  sometimes,  which  even  gave  me  sorrow 
afterwards.  Think  about  it,  Boys. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  211 


CHAPTER  III. 

Another  Talk  with  the  Boys. 

BEFORE  passing  over  scenes  of  my  childhood,  or  boyhood's 
early  days,  I  must  relate  a  few  more  incidents,  which  though  to 
some  may  seem  trivial  in  themselves,  yet  to  me  made  an  im- 
pression which  has  never  since  been  quite  forgotten.  On  a 
certain  occasion,  my  father  gave  me  three  little  orphan  pigs, 
which  I  went  to  work  with  as  much  industry  and  determination 
to  have  them  grow  into  large  porkers,  and  so  make  me  rich,  as 
ever  Vanderbilt  or  Jay  Gould  went  to  work  at  their  steamships 
and  railroad  speculations,  when  making  their  millions.  To  say 
I  nursed  those  three  pigs  day  and  night,  is  scarcely  the  word 
for  it,  nor  will  I  take  time  to  tell  how,  or  how  fast  they  grew, 
what  beauties  they  became,  and  what  pets  they  were  in  a  short 
time.  In  those  days,  the  custom  was,  and  still  is  in  that  part 
of  the  country,  to  make  sugar  in  the  Spring  season,  as  winter 
begins  to  break  and  ground  begins  to  thaw  out,  which  starts 
the  sap  to  circulating  in  the  veins  or  along  the  pores,  of  the 
maple  or  sugar  tree,  as  it  comes  up  through  the  roots  from  the 
ground.  And  to  extract  this  sweet  sap  or  sugar  water  from 
the  trees,  it  is  necessary  to  "tap"  the  tree,  as  it  is  called,  which 
is  usually  done  by  boring  a  couple  of  small  holes  an  inch  or 
two  into  the  tree  near  the  base,  then  drive  in  usually  an  alder 
spile,  (which  is  a  section  6  or  8  inches  long,  cut  from  the  alder 
bush,  the  pith  having  been  punched  out  and  one  end  sharp- 
ened a  little),  and  these  conveyed  the  water  into  a  trough  or 
other  vessel,  which  sits  at  the  roots  of  the  tree.  From  these 


212  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

troughs  or  buckets,  which  are  sometimes  used,  the  water  was 
collected  into  a  large  hogshead  generally  hauled  round  on  a  sled, 
and  so  taken  to  the  sugar  camp  ;  then  boiled  down  into  syrup, 
molasses,  or  stirred  into  sugar,  having  been  put  into  large  ket- 
tles all  arranged  in  a  row  over  a  furnace.  The  process  was 
always  tedious,  and  of  course  took  great  industry,  boiling  of- 
ten, all  day  and  night  too,  for  several  weeks,  before  the  season 
would  pass  by  for  sugar  making,  and  was  usually  a  most  enjoy- 
able one  for  the  boys,  watching  and  keeping  up  the  boiling 
process,  in  our  little  camp  of  straw,  as  the  bright  light  and  heat 
from  the  mouth  of  the  furnace  shone  in  upon  us,  and  at  the 
same  time,  the  boiling  water  popping  and  leaping  in  the  kettles, 
whilst  the  hot  steam  arose  and  rolled  away  in  clouds  of  mibt. 
Who  would  not  be  a  boy  again,  if  he  could,  especially  in  sugar 
making  ? 

And  now,  about  the  piggies,  and  what  I  was  about  to 
tell  you.  Well,  they  had  become  quite  fond  of  me,  and  so 
followed  me  to  the  camp  one  morning,  where  there  had 
a  large  bed  of  hot  coals  recently  raked  out  of  the  furnace,  and 
they  concluded  they  would  try  it  a  little,  and  so  plunged  into 
it,  and  I  need  hardly  tell  you,  they  became  well  roasted  before 
coming  out  again.  However  they  survived  it,  minus  their  tails 
and  toes  and  hoofs,  hair,  skin,  etc.,  after  hovering  between  life 
and  death  for  some  weeks,  in  dreadful  suffering,  and  finally  re- 
covered, and  so  grew  up  to  make  fine  porkers ;  though 
have  I  seen  any  live  animal  so  badly  Coasted,  ever  recover. 

I  have  been  thus  minute,  in  describing  as  briefly  as  possible 
the  modus  operandi  of  sugar  boiling  and  making  from  the 
sugar  tree,  as  many  who  read  this  chapter  may  have  never 
seen  or  learned  anything  about  it  before.  And  just  in  this 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          213 

connection,  another  little  incident  occurs  to  me,  which  serves 
well  to  illustrate  some  things. 

One  season,  long  after  sugar  making  was  over,  and  early 
autumn,  fruit  ripening  and  gathering  time  had  come,  and  as 
we  needed  a  "  dry  kiln,"  to  dry  fruit  on,  I  concluded  I  would 
improvise  one,  by  using  the  same  furnace  in  which  sugar  water 
had  been  boiled,  and  so  utilize  it  for  another  purpose,  now  that 
we  needed  it  no  longer  that  season.  And  after  all  the  large 
kettles  had  been  lifted  out,  I  proceeded  to  cover  the  top  of  the 
long  furnace,  making  a  flat  surface  over  it,  or  nearly  flat,  by  tak- 
ing the  staves  of  old  flour  barrels  and  first  laying  them  bowed 
side  up  all  over  the  surface  closely  :  this  you  see  made  a  very 
smooth,  pretty  surface  to  lay  fruit  on  to  dry.  But,  how  about 
the  wooden  staves  when  a  fire  was  kindled  underneath,  for 
warming  purposes  ?  Why,  of  course,  you  will  say  they  would 
take  fire  and  burn  out,  and  so  they  would  as  I  well  knew,  and 
so  they  did,  as  you  will  presently  see.  However,  I  had  made 
my  calculations  for  all  this,  and  as  I  had  shrewdly  supposed 
effectually  guarded  against  any  such  catastrophe,  by  preparing 
a  good  stiff  clay  mortar,  and  thoroughly  coating  over  the  staves 
very  smoothly  and  of  good  thickness  ;  but  not  having  patience 
to  wait  a  few  days  for  the  air  and  sun  to  dry  and  harden  the 
mortar,  I  determined  to  hurry  that  process  up  and  so  make 
short  work  of  it.  During  all  this  proceeding,  a  number  of  my 
brothers  were  standing  round  looking  on,  and  with  gibes  and 
ridicule,  instead  of  taking  hold  and  helping  me,  declared  my 
whole  plan  would  "  fall  through,"  and  be  a  failure. 

But,  of  course,  I  knew  better  (?)  as  you  shall  see  at  once,  for, 
after  piling  into  the  furnace  a  good  lot  of  dry  wood,  and  firing 
up,  the  barrel  staves  were  not  many  minutes  in  taking  fire,  and, 


214  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

of  course,  soon  burned  through,  when  lo  ! — what  ?  Why  just 
what  any  silly  pated  boy  might  and  ought  to  have  known — that 
then  the  soft  mortar  on  top  would  drop  down  into  the  furnace, 
would  it  not  ?  and  so  put  out  the  fire,  and  then  put  an  end  to 
the  whole  remarkable  performance  One  thing  further,  how- 
ever, I  well  remember,  and  that  is,  that  I  both  grew  a  little 
older  and  perhaps  wiser,  too,  before  I  heard  the  last  of  that 
"dry  kiln"  from  those  boys.  And  for  long  months,  and 
even  years,  afterwards,  whenever  I  was  about  to  inqent  some- 
thing wonderful,  or  set  some  great  scheme  or  project  on  foot 
that  would  surprise  everybody,  and  myself,  too,  perhaps, 
as  I  often  did,  I  was  just  then  very  sure  to  hear  some  one  of 
the  boys  say,  with  a  knowing  look  and  wink  at  the  rest, 
" 1  think  that  will  come  out  about  like  the  dry  kiln  did— fall 
through"  But  the  whole  story,  Boys,  serves,  as  you  will  at 
once  see,  to  illustrate  this  one  important  fact,  if  no  other,  viz  ; 
that  no  matter  how  much  genius  and  talent  you  may  have,  and 
however  well  disposed  in  putting  that  genius  and  talent  into 
the  execution  of  some  great  enterprise,  a  certain  amount  > 
tience  is  almost  sure  to  be  called  into  requisition  sooner  or 
later  during  the  undertaking.  And  this  you  will  do  well  to  re- 
member ;  for,  you  see,  if  I,  after  having  planned  and  constructed 
the  "  dry  kiln,"  had  only  exercised  patience  sufficiently  to  have 
waited  a  few  days  for  the  mortar  to  have  dried  and  hardened, 
before  firing  up  underneath  (and  even  then  gone  slow,  so  as 
not  to  too  suddenly  bake  and  crack  the  mortar  by  great,  sud- 
den heat),  it  is  very  probable  the  thing  would  have  been  a  sue  - 
:ess.  What  do  you  think  about  it  ? 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  215 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Still  More  to  Follow. 

BOYS,  I  am  hurrying  all  I  can  to  get  through  with  these 
rather  unimportant  reminiscences  of  early  life,  so  as  to  tell  you 
things  of  more  importance  ;  and  therefore  shall  endeavor  to 
make  these  chapters  short,  skipping  over  much,  of  course, 
which  might  possibly  interest  some  who  knew  me  in  boyhood 
and  may  chance  to  read  these  pages.  But  to  tell  you  all  would 
be  quite  impossible,  even  in  one  small  book,  or  even  a  tenth 
part  of  all.  I  may,  however,  as  well  add  here,  as  I  go  along, 
that,  like  most  boys  who  have  any  life  and  vim  in  them  at  all, 
I  was  quite  as  full  of  mischief  as  most  boys  are,  though  never 
of  a  vicious  nature,  nor  did  I  act,  as  I  trust,  with  a  vindictive, 
resentful,  or  malicious  spirit ;  but  just  only  loved  to  have  my 
fun  and  rather  innocent  amusements,  just  as  all  my  brothers 
did,  and  most  boys  do. 

You  will  notice  one  thing  in  my  writing  as  you  read  along  ; 
I  use  some  words  occasionally  which  may  sound  a  little  strange- 
ly to  you,  and  which  you  may  not  quite  understand,  and  when 
you  come  to  one  of  those,  before  passing  it  by,  pause  a  mo- 
ment to  consider,  and  think  what  it  means,  and  then  think 
whether  or  not  you  could  not  have  substituted  or  placed  some 
other  word  which  would  have  taken  its  place,  or  even  served  a 
better  purpose.  Now,  e.  £.,  I  have  used  the  word  "vim"  a 
moment  ago,  and  yet  I  am  not  sure  it  may  be  found  in  most 
dictionaries,  if,  indeed,  in  any,  and  as  I  have  none  at  hand,  I 
am  sure  I  shall  not  go  to  the  trouble  to  find  one  so  as  to  see  if 


2I<5  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

it  is  there  ;  but  the  word,  you  know,  is  expressive  anyhow,  and 
you  also  know,  no  doubt,  just  what  I  mean  by  it,  and  so  on 
with  many  other  words  ;  just  so  with  the  words  "ba-ker,"  "  tidy" 
etc.  And  just  here  I  will  tell  you  of  a  little  foolish  prank  I 
played  once  when  a  boy,  which  just  at  this  moment  comes  to 
mind,  the  subject  of  which  was  a  young  lady  whose  name  we  will 
call  "Luci-day,"  and  an  old,  white,  blind  horse,  which  she  always 
rode,  called  Jack.  Miss  Luci  day  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  our 
house,  as  she  lived  not  far  away,  and  I  was  sometimes  vain 
enough  (and  you  know  boys  often  are  in  their  imaginations)  to 
conclude  Miss  L.  thought  considerable  of  me,  and  I  was  sure 
I  did  of  her,  though  she  had  a  younger  sister,  a  little  fairer,  whom 
I  thought  I  liked  the  best.  Old  Jack  was  a  wonderful  horse, 
and  though  totally  blind  (the  balls  of  both  eyes  being  out  en- 
tirely) yet  he  could  always  tell  when  coming  near  a  fence,  or 
gate,  or  any  such  thing,  and  it  would  have  done  you  good  to 
see  how  that  old  Rosinante  could  skip  along  over  ground,  with 
a  sort  of  spring-knee'd,  long  racking  hop  or  pace,  seldom,  if 
ever,  being  known  to  stumble  or  miss  his  footing  in  any  way, 
with  Miss  L.  on  his  back. 

On  a  certain  day,  there  being  already  a  company  of  young 
people  collected  at  our  house,  Miss  L.  rode  up  on  the  veritable 
old  Jack,  and  I,  with  my  usual  courtesy  and  gallantry,  walked 
out  and  assisted  her  to  alight,  when  at  the  same  moment,  as  I 
led  Jack  away  to  hitch  him,  a  thought  then  occurred  to  me.  I 
would  do  something  very  smart  by  playing  a  practical  joke, 
more  on  the  young  lady,  perhaps,  than  on  the  animal,  although 
he  was  mainly  the  subject.  And  now,  what  do  you  think  it 
was?  I  got  an  old,  worn  umbrella,  and  went  to  work  taking 
the  wire  ribs  out  of  it ;  and  in  a  short  time  made  the  framework 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  '217 

as  of  complete  a  set  of  spectacles ,  such  as  fitted  old  Jack,  as 
you  ever  saw ;  and  instead  of  fitting  glasses  in  them,  I  took 
some  blue  or  green  cloth,  and  cutting  in  proper  shape  to  fit  the 
eyes,  sewed  that  in,  and  then  fastened  the  spectacles  on  before 
Miss  L.  was  ready  to  go ;  and  on  coming  out  to  start  home, 
somewhat  to  her  amazement  she  found  old  Jack  fitted  out 
completely  with  a  brand  new  pair  of  goggles.  And  to  my  still 
greater  delight,  the  young  lady,  instead  of  being  offended, 
showed  her  good  sense  and  very  aimiable  disposition  by  laugh- 
ing heartily,  and  enjoying  the  joke  as  well  as  myself  and  many 
others  who  were  looking  on. 

But  everything  that  transpired  in  those  days  was  not  always 
fun  with  me,  any  more,  indeed,  than  was  "  gum  spring,"  the 
pitchfork,  or,  indeed,  the  school  birch  rod,  or  even  leather  strap 
experiences ;  as  I  shall  now  relate  to  you,  very  briefly,  another 
singular  instance,  at  least.  One  day,  another  brother  (next  in 
age,  older,  but  little  larger)  and  I  were  hauling  sand  and  gravel 
from  the  creek  bed  to  repair  the  walks  about  the  house  and 
yard.  And  although  the  team  with  which  we  did  the  hauling 
were  gentle  enough,  ordinarily,  yet  one  of  them  was  a  fine, 
large  horse,  recently  broken  in  to  work,  named  Hector  ;  and 
after  having  brought  a  load — or  a  number  of  them,  indeed— 
and  thrown  them  off,  and  started  for  another,  I  sitting  near  the 
horses,  in  front,  doing  the  driving,  whilst  my  brother  sat  nearer 
the  back  end  of  the  wagon,  and  noticing  one  of  the  lines  had 
become  caught  over  the  harness  of  Hector,  after  stopping,  in- 
stead of  asking  my  brother  to  go  and  undo  it,  or  else  hand  him 
the  lines  to  hold,  while  I  got  off,  and  went  forward  to  do  so 
myself,  as  any  sensible  boy  should  have  done,  and,  it  seems  to 
me  now,  would  have  done,  instead  of  doing  this  I  deliberately 


2l8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

and  hastily  wadded  the  lines  up  in  my  arms,  at  the  same  time 
stepping  down  upon  the  tongue  of  the  wagon  and  starting  to  walk 
forward  on  it,  between  the  two  horses,  to  lift  the  line  from  the 
harness ;  and  at  the  same  moment  laid  my  hand  carelessly  on 
the  young  horse's  back,  at  which  proceeding  he  suddenly  took 
affright,  and  instantly  doubling  himself  up,  he  began  to  pick  him- 
self up  and  get  away  from  there  as  fast  as  his  feet  would  carry 
him,  whilst  his  heels  were  flying  in  the  air,  and  so  was  the  wag- 
on, together  with  myself,  brother,  and  everything  else.  We 
were  now  just  outside  of  the  yard  of  the  house,  in  the  wood  pas- 
ture, adjoining ;  and  a  few  yards  in  front  of  the  horses  lay  a 
large  walnut  tree,  at  least  three  feet  in  diameter.  Over  this  the 
horses  leaped  with  one  bound,  without  touching  ;  not  so  with 
my  feet  and  legs,  however,  which  were  now  dangling  on  either 
side  of  the  tongue,  which  I  had  incontinently  sit  down  astride 
of,  immediately  between  the  horses.  The  wagon,  of  course, 
followed  the  horses  over  the  log,  and  throwing  it  on  one  side, 
causing  two  wheels  to  spin  round  up  in  the  air  horizontally, 
whilst  the  other  two,  with  their  hubs,  plowed  the  ground  below  ; 
in  the  meantime,  my  little  brother  (for  we  were  both  small)  had 
slid  off  behind,  before  the  wagon  struck  the  log,  or  about  that 
time  (for  all  occurred  in  a  few  seconds)  ;  but,  where  u, 
Well,  boys,  I  will  tell  you,  but  you  see  it  takes  much  longer  to 
do  so  than  it  did  to  take  that  ride,  which  came  very  near  being 
my  last  one.  The  horses,  of  course,  ran  for  dear  life,  kicking 
at  every  jump,  for  they  were  dreadfully  frightened  ;  but  I  can 
not  say  I  was,  for  I  did  not  have  much  time  to  be,  but  seemed 
to  retain  my  presence  of  mind  ;  and  in  those  few  short  seconds, 
it  seemed  to  me  I  thought  of  one  thousand  things ;  nor  did  I 
have  time  to  drop  off  the  tongue  down  under  the  horses  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          219 

wagon,  which  would  have  probably  been  certain  death  if  I  had, 
so  I  sat  still.  The  horses,  after  bounding  over  the  large,  fallen 
tree,  made  a  sort  of  circuit  in  the  direction  of  the  barn,  some 
distance  away ;  and  not  far  ahead  of  them,  and  in  their  way, 
stood  a  sugar  tree,  about  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  lean- 
ing just  a  little  towards  them,  tall,  and  having  a  few  dead  limbs 
on  it,  as  well  as  green.  Don't  anticipate  now,  and  think  I  am 
going  to  tell  you  those  horses  climbed  that  tree,  for  they  did 
nothing  of  the  sort ;  nor  shall  I  tell  you  so.  But  I  will  tell  you 
what  they  did  do,  and  what  actually  did  occur. 

The  near  animal  seemed  to  try  to  go  on  the  left  side,  whilst 
the  off  horse,  now  a  desperately  wild  animal,  determined  to  go 
on  the  right ;  and  just  at  that  moment  the  heavily  ironed  end 
of  the  tongue  struck  the  tree  exactly  in  the  centre,  and  about 
three  or  four  feet  from  the  base,  with  such  force  as  to  cause 
dead  limbs  to  fall  from  its  top,  and  at  the  same  instant  causing 
the  tongue  to  shatter  into  more  pieces  than  I  could  count,  at 
about  the  exact  spot  where  I  sat,  and  as  the  end  still  attached 
to  the  wagon  dropped,  it  plowed  in  under  the  roots  of  the  tree 
with  a  tremendous  force,  and  so  stuck  fast,  while  the  forewheels 
of  the  wagon  came  upon  the  heels  of  the  horses,  and  with  a 
breast  yoke  and  double  lines  in  front,  and  a  wagon  close  upon 
them,  they  were  bound  fast ;  whilst  I  qrietly  stepped  out  in 
front  of  them  to  survey  the  wreck,  and  see  if  I  could  fully  com- 
prehend the  situation. 

Boys,  I  have  told  you  about  the  "  Gum  Spring  "  and  "  pitch- 
fork "  adventures  when  just  a  little  younger,  and  spoke  of  them 
as  being  "  close  calls,"  but  they  were  hardly  a  circumstance  to 
this  adventure  which  I  have  just  related  ;  and  even  today,  whilst 
narrating  it,  I  can  scarcely  realize  I  escaped  alive  to  tell  you 


220  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

about  it,  though  more  than  two  score  years  have  passed  since 
then,  and  many  other  experiences  quite  as  great  have  happened 
to  me,  which  I  almost  fear  would  weary  you  were  I  to  tell  you 
all.  Truly,  indeed,  may  it  be  said  that  "Truth  is  stranger  than 
fiction." 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          221 


CHAPTER  V. 

Reminiscenses  of  Early  Days,  Continued. 

THE  preceding  chapter,  in  describing  my  perilous  ride,  re- 
calls to  mind  another  incident  which  occurred,  perhaps,  some  two 
years  later,  which  will  also  conclude  the  fate  of  the  famous 
young  horse,  "Hector."  My  father  had  a  tenant  on  the 
farm  whose  name  was  Craiger,  and  though  seemingly  clever 
enough,  yet  he  lacked  for  pluck  and  push,  as  the  phrases  go, 
and,  on  a  certain  occasion,  it  fell  to  his  and  my  lot  to 
break  a  young  horse  named  "  Copper-bottom,"  a  very  fine  ani- 
mal, but  exceedingly  wild,  and  rather  vicious,  too.  We  man- 
aged, however,  to  get  a  very  long  halter  on  his  head,  and  a  bri- 
dle, too,  and  then  getting  him  into  an  open  pasture,  Craiger, 
being  quite  a  stout  man,  held  the  end  of  the  long  halter,  whilst 
I,  with  a  whip,  chased  the  horse  in  a  circle  around,  till  he  got 
tired,  and  so  did  I,  when  I  suggested  to  Craiger  I  would  hold 
the  halter  while  he  mounted  the  animal  to  try  to  ride  him. 
This,  however,  he  was  by  no  means  anxious  to  do,  but  after 
some  persuasion,  he  approached  near  enough  to  get  hold  of 
the  bridle  reins,  and  to  lay  his  hands  on  the  horse's  back,  and 
pretending  to  make  a  spring  upon  his  back — which  was  only 
pretense — the  horse  instantly  bounded  away  from  him,  when 
he,  with  a  tremendous  voice,  said  :  "  The  horse  could  not  be 
rode."  But  I  assured  him  he  could  be  rode,  and  if  I  once 
got  as  close  to  his  back  as  he  had  been,  I  would  get  on  it, 
and  so  handed  him  the  long  rope,  when  I  began  maneuvering 
to  get  up  to  the  horse  again,  which  I  finally  did,  and  after  get- 
ting the  reins  in  my  hand,  and  the  other  upon  his  back,  I  made 


222  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

a  quick  jump,  springing  upon  him ;  but  I  had  scarcely  become 
mounted  when  he  determined  I  should  not  stay  there,  and  so 
began  rearing  and  pitching  at  a  dreadful  rate,  bounding  off 
at  the  same  moment,  when  he  jerked  the  reins  out  of  my  hand, 
at  which  moment  I  seized  a  handful  of  mane  ;  but  the  next 
moment  he  reared  straight  up  and  began  falling  back,  throwing 
me  with  the  handful  of  mane,  which  I  pulled  out,  when  I  fell 
just  back  of  him,  at  which  moment  he  began  kicking  at  me  at 
a  furious  rate ;  and  having  already  fallen  on  the  ground,  and  no 
time  to  get  away,  my  presence  of  mind  again  served  me  to  a 
purpose,  for  I  instantly  lay  flat  upon  the  ground,  and  let  him 
stand  and  kick  over  me,  just  barely  missing  me  every  time,  till 
he  got  tired  of  the  sport — and  so  was  I. 

In  the  meantime  the  brave  Craiger  stood  off  at  a  safe  dis- 
tance, looking  on  to  see  how  matters  would  end,  and  seemed 
much  surprised,  and  delighted,  too,  when  the  horse  left  me,  and 
it  was  discovered  I  had  not  been  hurt. 

This  same  horse  afterwards  became  broken  to  double  harness 
and  the  plow,  etc.,  and  some  time  afterwards  he  and  the  famous 
"Hector"  made  a  splendid  team,  and  Craiger  usually  had  the 
handling  of  them ;  and  one  day,  when  hitched  to  a  sled,  and 
Craiger  sitting  on  "  Hector,"  sidewise,  while  they  were  stand- 
ing waiting  for  me  to  lay  down  a  fence  for  them  to  pass  through, 
the  Copper-bottom  horse  on  the  off  side  took  affright  at  a  dog 
coming  up  behind  him,  causing  the  team  to  instantly  start  to  run 
away. 

Then  Mr.  Craiger  slid  off  and  away  they  went,  and  coming 
to  a  tree  in  the  way,  and  attempting  to  pass  it,  poor  Hector 
struck  it  with  such  violence  as  to  knock  the  bark  off  from  it,  and 
off  him  to,  as  well  as  to  break  his  body  and  bones,  causing  al- 
most instant  death,  whilst  the  other  horse  escaped  safely. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          223 

And  now,  Boys,  having  told  you  quite  enough  of  adventures 
perhaps,  on  the  farm,  we  will  leave  it  a  while,  and  go  away  from 
home  a  little.  And  my  first  experience  in  this  was  one  never 
to  be  forgotten. 

I  was  quite  fourteen,  and  through  the  over-persuasion  of  my 
father  by  a  good  man,  who  had  an  over-zeal  in  the  matter,  I 
was  sent  away  at  a  distance  to  college.  And  though  I  was  too 
young  to  think  so  then,  but  since  have  thought  that  a  mistake, 
all  the  circumstances  considered.  For  in  the  first  place,  I  was 
too  young  and  illiterate  to  be  sent  to  such  an  Institution  to  try 
to  learn  anything ;  and  second,  some  other  school  at  a  less  ex- 
pense, and  perhaps  nearer  home,  would  have  served  better. 
However,  I  went,  and  staid  six  months,  or  till  the  close  of  the 
session,  when  I  not  exactly  graduated,  but  rather,  found  out 
I  had  learned  very  little,  and  that  that  college  did  not  suit  me. 

Many  things  occurred  to  me  while  there,  and  in  a  general 
way,  which  of  course  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my  mind, 
which,  however,  we  will  pass  over ;  except  to  relate  one  single 
instance  concerning  myself,  and  one  concerning  another. 

The  college  I  attended  is  known  as  South  Hanover,  and  is 
situated  in  a  small  town  of  the  same  name,  about  one  and  a  half 
miles  from  the  Ohio  river,  in  Indiana.  The  students  very  of- 
ten went  to  the  river  to  bathe  and  swim  in  it.  And  on  one 
occasion,  while  doing  so,  I  was  influenced  to  go  out  over  my 
depth,  being  pulled  along  by  a  fellow  student,  who  was  a  splen- 
did swimmer,  whilst  I  could  not  swim  at  all,  or  only  about  as 
a  stone  swims.  And  as  soon  as  I  realized  my  situation  in  the 
swift  running  water,  and  began  to  sink,  I  immediately  sprang 
upon  him  to  save  me,  and  clung  to  him  so  tightly  he  could 
neither  help  himself  or  me  either,  and  so  we  both  went  down 


224  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE    AUTHOR. 

together,  but  soon  arose  again  to  the  surface  only  to  struggle  and 
strangle  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  sink  again.  And  on 
coming  up  the  second  time,  by  which  time  we  were  both  quite 
drowned,  a  fellow  student  standing  on  a  raft  of  logs  not  very 
far  from  us,  shoved  out  a  long  scantling,  which  my  companion 
barely  reached  with  the  tips  of  his  fingers,  as  we  were  both  go- 
ing down  for  the  third  and  last  time,  and  this  supported  him 
sufficiently  till  a  better  hold  was  secured,  and  in  this  way  we 
were  rescued  from  a  watery  grave.  But  you  will  at  once  see 
from  the  narration,  this  was  almost  a  miraculous  escape  from 
drowning ;  and  then  it  was  again  quite  every  scene  of  the  past, 
as  well  as  thoughts  of  loved  ones  at  home  and  all  dear  to  me 
in  life,  instantly  rushed  into  memory,  though  struggling  as  I 
was  to  keep  from  drowning. 

Some  time  afterward  myself  and  room-mate  had  gone  to  the 
river  to  bathe,  but  as  neither  of  us  could  swim,  were  careful  to 
keep  near  shore,  in  shallow,  slow-running  water.  But  just  at 
that  time  another  young  man  came  down  from  the  town,  strip- 
ped off,  and  being  a  swimmer,  went  out  into  deep  water, 
and  began  to  swim  ;  but  in  a  few  moments  seemed  to  be  strug- 
gling, and  threw  up  his  hands,  calling  loudly  for  help,  when 
he  suddenly  sank ;  then  he  arose  again  and  struggled  hard  for 
life,  but  in  a  few  moments  went  down  again,  when  all  was  over 
with  him,  no  one  being  present  who  could  swim,  and  so  try  to 
save  him,  though  my  room-mate  instantly  mounted  the  horse 
the  young  man  had  rode  down,  and  rushed  in  to  reach  him 
before  going  down  the  last  time,  but  was  too  late.  He  then  rode 
away  as  rapidly  as  he  could  to  give  the  news  at  the  college, 
whilst  I  remained  alone  on  the  banks  of  the  river  in  the  twi- 
light, which  made  it  quite  lonely  enough.  But  soon  a  large 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE    AUTHOR.  225 

number  of  students,  perhaps  quite  a  hundred  or  more,  came 
down,  and  many  of  them  being  splendid  swimmers,  searched 
for  the  body  until  midnight,  and  not  finding  it,  began  again  the 
next  morning  and  continued  until  one  with  a  long-handled  rake 
with  sharp  iron  teeth,  in  dragging  it  as  he  swam  along,  hooked 
one  of  the  teeth  into  one  of  the  eyes  of  the  unfortunate  young 
man,  and  drew  him  up  to  the  surface,  when  the  body  was  se- 
cured for  burial.  But  the  mourning  and  lamentations  of  that 
family  were  something  very  sad  indeed,  he  being  the  very  last 
of  a  number  of  children,  several  of  whom  had  also  come  to  an 
untimely  end  in  some  way. 

10* 


226  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  11 1 L  AUTHOR. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Early  College  Days,  Continued. 

THE  following  autumn,  after  my  return  from  South  Hanover 
College,  it  was  agreed  I  should  attend  Wabash  College,  only 
eleven  miles  from  my  own  home,  in  Crawfordsville,  Montgom- 
ery Co.,  Ind.  And  arrangements  being  made,  I  at  once  began 
another  course  of  studies  during  that  fall  and  winter,  in  that 
most  excellent  Institution.  Here  I  got  on  better,  and  pro 
ed  more  rapidly  in  my  studies,  so  that  by  the  time  the  * 
of  six  months  closed,  I  thought  myself  quite  advanced,  suffi- 
ciently to  teach  a  common  district  school  at  least.  And  as  I 
now  had  quite  a  desire  to  try  it,  to  see  how  well  I  might  like  it, 
I  left  off  further  collegiate  education,  went  before  the  Board  of 
School  Examiners,  of  whom  the  Hon.  Joe  E.  McDonal  was 
President,  and  after  what  /thought  a  rather  rigid  examination 
from  his  Honor,  (he  being  a  lawyer,  even  then  of  considerable 
eminence).  However,  Mr.  McDonal  cheerfully  gave  me  my 
certificate,  complimenting  me  on  a  good  examination  for  one  so 
young.  And  the  next  thing  was  to  get  a  school,  in  the  T.mn 
of  Crawfordsville,  which  I  soon  succeeded  in  doing,  and  : 
it  through  with  some  pleasure,  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  very 
little  profit  in  a  pecuniary  way. 

My  next  venture  on  school  teaching  was  the  following  win- 
ter in  the  country,  and  in  a  neighborhood  proverbial  for  its 
heathenism  in  a  general  way.  I  taught  the  term  about  half 
through  and  could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  so  quit  in  disgust, 
determining  I  would  try  some  other  vocation  for  a  livelihood, 
and  the  following  spring  and  summer  engaged  in  a  small  vil- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          227 

lage  in  a  small  store,  to  sell  goods,  and  after  frittering  away  the 
spring  and  summer  in  close  confinement,  doing  nothing,  and  of 
course  making  nothing,  I  now  determined  on  a  more  active 
employment,  for  both  mind  and  muscle,  and  so  went  to  work 
at  the  carpenter's  trade.  This  seemed  to  suit  me  better,  and 
therefore  continued  at  it  for  a  few  years,  until  through  some 
unaccountable  and  sudden  "coup  demain,"  I  dropped  the  car- 
penter's tools  and  took  up  those  of  Dentistry^  and  set  to  work 
to  learn  that  profession,  at  the  earnest  and  repeated  solicitation 
of  a  dentist,  then  located  in  Crawfordsville,  my  same  old  Town 
of  former  experiences  and  adventures.  Of  course  it  did  not 
take  long  for  me  to  learn,  (as  I  thought),  quite  all  there  was  in 
that  small  business  to  be  learned.  And  although  I  have  stud- 
ied it,  taught  it,  graduated  in  it  from  a  regular  Dental  College, 
and  practiced  it  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  I  still  find  something 
to  be  learned  in  it  or  about  it  quite  every  day.  But,  of  course 
it  is  no  unusual  thing  to  find  new-fledged  Knight  of  the  Forceps, 
"  rubber  dam,"  mallet,  burring  engine,  etc.,  with  just  a  little 
fur  upon  the  upper  lip,  and  just  out  of  their  Preceptor's 
Office  or  a  Dental  College,  who  know  much  more  than  I  have 
ever  learned,  or  indeed  may  ever  reasonably  expect  to  learn. 
And  indeed  even  meet  with  patients  occasionally,  who  will  in- 
struct me  just  what  to  do,  and  how  to  do,  when  they  condes- 
cend to  call  my  professional  services  into  requisition. 

Such,  however,  are  usually  those  who  have  never  needed 
dental  services  before,  much  less  a  tooth  brush,  or  perhaps  even 
a  tooth  pick ;  in  fact,  can't  understand  why  people  should  have 
teeth,  anyway.  During  my  long  and  varied  experiences  in  the 
profession  of  Dentistry,  I  in  the  mean  time,  and  for  some  years, 
gave  much  of  my  time  to  the  study  of  medicine  as  taught  and 


228  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

practiced  in  the  different  schools,  carefully  studying  them  all 
through,  beginning  with  the  "Thomsonian,"  the  Hydropathic 
modes  of  treatment,  the  Eclectic,  the  Allopathic,  and  the 
Homoeopathic  schools.  And  after  many  years'  study  in  this 
way,  and  in  the  meantime  having  grown  tired  of  dentistry,  I  de- 
termined to  engage  in  medical  practice  for  a  while  as  a  change, 
and  to  see  how  well  I  might  like  it  as  a  profession ;  and  with  a 
view  to  this  end,  I  went  to  a  leading  State  Medical  ColK 
University,  viz,  the  Medical  State  University  of  Louisiana,  tak- 
ing a  regular  course  in  that  Institution.  After  which,  however, 
before  entering  upon  regular  practice,  I  took  up  the  study  and 
science  of  Homoeopathy,  not  having  studied  and  investigated  it 
up  to  that  time.  And  doing  so  "  secundum  artem"  conducting 
and  carrying  on  the  provings  of  various  medicines,  together  with 
the  study,  I  became  so  engrossed  in  it,  as  to  quite  lose  sight  of 
the  old  school  of  Allopathy,  or  of  "  Contraria  contraribus 
curanter"  for  the  new  school  of  "  Similia  similibus  curantcr? 
and  therefore  adopted  the  new ;  believing  if  there  was  indeed 
any  true  science  in  medicine  at  all,  it  belonged  to  that  school; 
and  so  entered  upon  the  practice  of  it  for  a  number  of  years,  in 
the  city  of  Louisville,  Ky.,  where  after  a  constant  and  laborious 
practice,  day  and  night  constantly,  my  health  gave  way,  so  as  to 
compel  me  to  abandon  the  regular  routine  of  professional  life, 
and  go  west  into  the  Rocky  Mountains  of  Colorado,  for  recrea- 
tion and  recovery. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Early  Recollections  of  Professional  Life. 

IN  the  preceding  chapter,  I  spoke  of  being  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  where  I  had  been  sojourning  for  some  time  on  ac- 
count of  my  health  ;  but  in  order  to  make  these  memoirs  more 
complete,  it  will  be  necessary  to  return  to  earlier  recollections 
and  experiences  in  my  professional  life,  which  I  think  will  be 
of  interest  to  you. 

I  have  already  told  you  I  was  not  long  in  learning  quite  all, 
as  I  supposed,  in  Dentistry,  and  after  fitting  myself  out  with  a 
beautiful  and  attractive  case  of  instruments,  etc.,  I  proceeded 
at  once  to  practice.  But  after  continuing  for  some  time,  I  dis- 
covered I  might  yet  learn  more  about  my  profession  ;  and 
though  perhaps  did  as  well  as  some  others,  at  least,  who- were 
engaged  in  practice,  yet  this  did  not  satisfy  me,  nor  did  it  in- 
deed satisfy  my  patients  at  all  times.  Occasionally,  however, 
I  performed  operations  in  dentistry  which  were  considered  grand 
successes,  and  I  even  thought  so  myself,  as  well  as  others,  and 
this,  of  course,  not  only  gave  me  confidence,  but  reputation  al- 
so for  skill  in  the  dental  art.  Continuing  on  in  practice  a  few 
years,  enabled  me  to  acquire  greater  proficiency,  by  applying 
myself  closely  to  study  as  well  as  practice,  and  therefore  in  time 
did  learn  something  about  dentistry. 

During  this  time  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  since,  in  all 
my  studies  while  living  the  life  of  a  student,  I  have  been  trying  to 
learn  something  about  human  nature  in  a  general  way,  and  of 
myself  in  particular ;  and  if  I  were  to  tell  you  I  have  made  some 


230  AUTc>i:i<><;k.\riIY    OF    TMI     AUTHOR. 

wonderful  discoveries  in  that  direction,  you  would  atom  < 
elude  my  saying  so  evinced  some  egotism  on  my  part,  coupled 
with  vanity,  and  yet  if  you  knew  the  facts  pertaining  to  the  whole 
matter,  you  would  hardly  be  likely  to  render  such  a  verdict. 
All  this,  however,  being  rather  a  side  issue,  and  foreign  to  the 
principal  matter  before  us,  we  will  pass  it  by,  at  least  for  the 
present. 

The  first  few  years  of  my  practice  were  spent  in  several  of 
the  Northern  and  Western  States,  after  which  I  turned  my 
course  towards  the  Sunny  South.  Leaving  the  State  of  Iowa, 
where  I  had  been  engaged  in  practice  for  some  time  near  the 
central  part  of  the  State;  I  started  in  winter  about  the  ist  of 
December,  making  my  way  through  the  deep  snow  and  chill- 
ing blasts,  till  I  reached  the  Mississippi  river,  where  I  crossed 
over  on  the  ice  after  night,  taking  the  train  on  the  opposite  side 
for  St.  Louis,  where  I  arrived  safely.  After  remaining  a  few- 
days  in  that  city,  and  fitting  myself  out  in  a  most  complete  man- 
ner for  general  practice,  I  then  went  aboard  a  first  class  I 
er  bound  for  the  port  of  New  Orleans  ;  but  owing  to  the  river 
being  frozen  over  above,  and  heavy  ice  now  forming  at  St  Louis 
and  floating  down,  and  the  weather  being  intensely  cold,  the 
river  soon  began  to  block  up,  which  prevented  our  making  rap- 
id headway,  as  we  had  to  stop  occasionally  to  clear  the  way  for 
the  boat  to  get  along.  And  on  this  account,  it  took  three  weeks 
to  make  the  transit  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans.  Hen 
our  vessel  was  like  a  floating  palace,  gorgeously  furnished  in  all 
its  appointments,  and  the  table  fit  for  kings  to  dine  at,  being 
loaded  with  every  delicacy  such  as  would  tempt  the  most  fastid- 
ious epicure  or  gourmand.  There  were  a  large  number  of  pas 
sengers  aboard,  some  of  whom  were  rather  prominent  person- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  THE   AUTHOR.  231 

ages.  The  upper  deck  was  piled  with  boxes  of  gold  coin  ship- 
ped by  the  government  at  Washington  to  New  Orleans.  An  at- 
tempt was  made  on  said  coin  by  burglars,  to  extract  a  quantity 
of  the  precious  metal  by  boring  into  the  boxes  through  the  deck 
from  below  with  a  large  augur,  supposing  the  coin  would  rattle 
down  from  above,  which,  however,  it  did  not  do  "worth  a  cent." 

After  arriving  at  New  Orleans  and  taking  a  general  survey  of 
that  rather  quaint  old  city,  especially  the  Creole  part  of  it,  I 
became  tired  in  a  few  days  seeing  the  sights,  and  so  went  on 
board  a  Red  River  packet  bound  for  Shreveport,  some  seven 
or  eight  hundred  miles  from  New  Orleans,  up  that  very  crook- 
ed and  narrow,  but  deep  stream,  so  appropriately  named,  for 
it  is  not  only  red,  but  muddy. 

Without  any  great  adventure  worth  mentioning,  I  arrived  at 
the  aforesaid  town  in  a  few  days,  and  going  ashore  I  found  as 
comfortable  quarters  as  the  place  would  afford,  and  not  feeling 
well  I  concluded  to  remain  a  while.  I  had  not  been  in  S.  long, 
however,  till  I  discovered  it  was  a  lively  place,  in  more  ways 
than  one.  But  I  will  not  stop  to  tell  you  just  how  lively,  or  in 
what  particular  way.  Suffice  it  to  say,  in  looking  the  place  over 
a  little,  I  found  I  had  got  quite  far  enough  from  home,  and 
near  enough  to  Texas,  for  the  present  at  least,  but  thought  if 
the  people  who  lived  there  could  stand  the  place  all  their  lives, 
I  would  try  it  a  while,  just  for  variety ;  and  was  not  long  in  se- 
curing an  office,  elevating  my  shingle  among  the  Gentiles  as 
well  as  Jews,  native  Creoles,  sons  of  Ham,  etc.  Very  soon  I 
began  to  make  acquaintances,  with  some  of  whom  I  was  well 
pleased,  and  soon  learned  to  my  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction, 
that  a  more  intelligent  and  even  highly  educated,  hospitable, 
sociable  and  pleasant  class  of  citizens  on  the  whole,  I  had  nev- 


232  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THK    AUTHOR. 

er  met  before,  nor  do  I  think  I  have  since  ;  the  only  druv 
being  that  some  of  them  were  a  little  bigoted  and  autocratic,  due 
to  the  fact  perhaps  of  their  being  the  F.  F.  V's,  or  of  some  such 
noble  ancestry.  Nor  did  it  take  me  long  to  become  warmly 
attached  to  my  far  away  Southern  home,  as  well  as  to  those 
around  me.  But  alas,  a  few  short  months  convinced  me  that 
for  health,  or  for  my  health  at  least,  I  had  struck  the  wrong 
place,  and  was  soon  stricken  down  with  a  violent  attack  of  ma- 
larial fever.  This,  however,  was  no  new  thing  for  me,  for  I 
had  already  when  a  boy  been  partly  "raised  on  it,"  /'  e.,  I  had 
it  so  much  in  early  life  that  I  had  become  quite  accustomed  to 
it,  and  thought  if  I  had  only  one  regular  shaking  up  every  other 
day,  till  the  hair  would  stand  on  my  head  and  my  teeth  would 
chatter,  that  I  was  getting  on  well  enough.  Such  terrible  chills 
usually  lasted  several  hours,  and  were  then  followed  by  raging 
and  consuming  fever,  with  insatiable  thirst,  and  a  dreadful 
headache,  all  of  which  usually  lasted  quite  the  whole  day,  which 
was  followed  by  a  most  copious  and  drenching  perspiration,  as 
though  I  had  been  dipped  in  a  water  tank ;  and  if  I  could  es- 
cape as  I  have  already  said,  with  the  above  every  other  day,  I 
thought  I  was  getting  off  lightly.  And  this  sort  of  thing  was 
often  kept  up  quite  the  whole  year  round,  from  which  there 
seemed  to  be  no  possible  relief.  But  this  Southern  type  of 
swamp  malaria  I  soon  found,  was  quite  too  much  for  me,  and 
though  frequently,  after  recovering  from  an  attack  which  gener- 
ally lasted  for  some  time,  I  would  be  able  to  get  up  and  around 
again,  I  would  find  myself  very  much  reduced,  with  a  cadav- 
erous look,  and  bent  over  like  an  aged  man,  and  in  need  of  a 
cane  to  assist  locomotion.  As  for  my  general  appearance  and 
complexion,  as  I  have  already  said,  that  was  simply  cadaverous, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          233 

so  much  so  indeed,  that  in  passing  strangers  on  the  street 
sometimes,  they  would  stop  and  gaze  after  me,  remarking  one 
to  another  and  loud  enough  to  be  heard,  "  See  that  poor  mis- 
erable fellow,  he  has  not  long  to  stay  here,"  and  I  felt  it  too,  as 
well  as  looked  it. 

As  a  sort  of  antidote  to  this  dreadful  corroding  poison  in 
the  system,  to  say  nothing  of  the  ponderous  doses  of  calomel, 
quinine,  blue-mass,  etc.;  heroically  administered  in  those  days, 
I  sometimes  found  some  relief  by  going  into  the  pinewood 
country  thirty  or  forty  miles,  and  rusticating  among  the  plant- 
ers a  few  weeks,  during  which  visits  I  spent  some  of  the  most 
pleasant  and  happiest  days  of  my  life.  I  occasionally  made  a 
trip  into  Texas  also,  lasting  two  or  three  months.  But  even  in 
that  country,  I  did  not  always  escape  malarial  fever  ;  and  on 
one  occasion,  after  lying  in  an  old  hotel,  suffering  dreadfully 
from  that  cause  for  a  number  of  weeks,  after  which  my  physi- 
cians pronounced  me  convalescent,  the  following  night  I  was 
suddenly  seized  about  midnight  with  a  dreadful  congestive 
chill,  which  came  very  near  ending  my  life  before  assistance 
came  and  relief  was  obtained,  and  even  this  was  followed  by 
a  second  one,  quite  as  severe  or  even  more  so.  It  is  well 
known  that  few  persons  recover  from  a  second  congestive  chill, 
and  never  from  a  third  one,  and  many  die  during  the  first. 
And  now,  in  concluding  this  letter,  I  will  tell  you  a  little  inci- 
dent which  occurred  to  me  shortly  after  my  partial  recovery 
from  the  'foregoing  very  dangerous  illness.  I  say  partial  re- 
covery, for  I  was  still  very  feeble  when  I  determined  to  return 
home  to  Louisiana. 

Having  my  own  conveyance  and  a  pair  of  good  horses,  I 
started  one  morning  alone,  and  after  a  hard  day's  journey,  and 


234  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

night  overtaking  me  before  I  found  a  stopping  place,  I  found 
myself  just  at  dark,  not  only  on  a  strange  road,  and  the  wrong 
one,  too,  but  at  the  summit  of  a  high  mountain,  to  the  base  of 
which  was,  I  think,  about  three  miles,  and  started  down  this 
mountain  without  locking  any  of  the  light  carriage  wheels,  hav- 
ing no  way,  indeed,  of  doing  so ;  but  I  soon  discovered  the 
mountain  was  steep  from  the  effort  required  to  hold  the  car- 
riage back  as  the  horses  trotted  along,  when,  all  of  a  sudden, 
the  coupling  which  attached  the  neck  yoke  to  the  tongue  gave 
way,  which  instantly  let  the  tongue  drop  to  the  ground,  and  at 
the  same  moment  the  carriage  ran  on  to  the  heels  of  the  horses, 
which  frightened  them  dreadfully  and  set  them  to  kicking  and 
running  for  dear  life  down  the  mountain. 

I,  of  course,  realized  the  situation  instantly,  as  well  as  the 
perilous  condition  in  which  I  was  placed,  the  carriage  being 
tightly  closed  all  around,  except  in  the  front,  as  the  autumn 
season  was  then  cool,  the  opening  being  immediately  over  the 
horses,  and  now  almost  over  their  backs.  Feeble  as  1  was, 
however,  I  continued  to  pull  upon  the  lines  with  all  my  might, 
which  I  soon  found  did  no  good,  but  rather  helped  to  draw 
the  carriage  that  much  closer  upon  the  horses'  heels. 

The  road  was  narrow  and  crooked,  and  hemmed  in  on  either 
side  with  forest  trees  and  undergrowth,  and  a  ravine  of  consid- 
erable depth  seemed  to  have  been  washed  out  on  either  side. 
But  to  attempt  to  keep  the  road  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  or 
even  at  all  any  distance,  seemed  like  certain  destruction ;  and 
for  me  to  bound  out  at  the  opening  in  front  of  the  carriage,  di- 
rectly over  the  horses,  seemed  to  me  more  perilous  still ;  whilst 
to  stay  in,  sit  still,  and  take  my  chances,  seemed  to  me  but  very 
little  better.  All  these  things  flitted  through  my  mind  in  a 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          235 

moment,  or  in  a  thousandth  part  of  the  time  it  takes  to  relate 
it,  when  a  very  sudden  thought  occurred  to  me,  which  at  the 
same  instant  I  acted  upon,  viz :  drop  one  line,  throw  my  whole 
strength  in  pulling  upon  the  other  with  both  hands,  and  so  turn 
the  horses  out  of  the  road  into  the  woods,  and  there  take  the 
chances  of  escape  or  speedy  destruction,  as  might  occur,  and  so 
end  all  suspense,  and  this  I  did  ;  compelled  the  horses  to  wheel 
suddenly  across  the  road,  leap  the  ditch,  and  carry  all  together 
with  them  into  the  woods,  when  suddenly  running  into  the 
forks  and  branches  of  a  large  tree  top  (I  don't  mean  a  stand- 
ing tree,  but  one  which  had  blown  down  with  the  top  towards 
the  road),  hemming  themselves  completely  in,  so  that  they 
could  get  no  further  forward  or  sideways,  nor  could  they  back 
out  on  account  of  the  carriage  at  their  heels,  and  thus  were 
they  compelled  to  stand  still,  at  which  time  I  very  quietly,  and 
without  the  least  reluctance,  climbed  out  to  look  around  a  little. 
And  what  do  you  suppose  was  the  condition  in  which  I  found 
things?  Simply  the  fastening  of  the  neck  yoke  to  the  tongue 
broken — only  this,  and  nothing  more. 

As  I  have  already  said,  I  was  just  recovering  from  a  severe 
spell  of  sickness,  and  was  very  feeble ;  but  I  could  not  stay 
there  in  the  cold,  chilling  mountain  air  all  night  without 
suffering  greatly,  and  therefore  concluded  to  unhitch  and  drive 
the  horses  down  the  mountain  to  some  house  where  I  could 
stay  the  rest  of  the  night,  and  this  I  attempted  to  do  ;  but  after 
getting  them  in  the  road  and  going  for  some  distance,  I  then 
stopped  and  hallooed  repeatedly ;  but  getting  no  response,  ex- 
cept the  lonely  echoing  of  my  own  voice  through  the  wild 
mountains,  not  even  the  baying  of  a  dog  in  the  distance,  and 
not  knowing  how  many  miles  I  would  have  to  travel  in  this 


236  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    TIM.    AI1HOR. 

way  before  coming  to  a  house,  I  changed  my  mind,  turned  back 
up  the  mountain  again,  went  to  my  carriage,  tied  the  neck  yoke 
to  the  tongue  as  securely  as  I  could,  backed  the  carriage  into 
the  road,  hitched  up,  got  in.  and  away  we  went,  tearing  down 
that  mountain  as  though  nothing  had  happened. 

I  don't  know  just  how  I  had  strength  enough  to  go  through 
with  all  this,  but  I  did  it.  The  first  house  we  came  to  I  stopped 
and  hallooed  again,  when  a  man  came  to  the  door,  and  I  told 
him  what  had  happened  to  me  on  the  mountain,  apologizing 
for  disturbing  him,  and  asked  if  I  could  get  to  stay  during 
the  remainder  of  the  night,  and  he  said  No,  as  he  did  not 
keep  strangers ;  but  a  mile  or  two  further  on  they  sometimes 
did.  I  then  drove  on  till  I  came  to  another  house,  and  called 
up  the  man  and  made  known  my  request ;  and  he  con- 
sented, on  condition,  however,  that  I  would  not  disturb  the 
family  by  having  them  get  up  to  give  me  supper.  I  told  him 
I  had  had  neither  supper  nor  dinner  that  day,  but  was  too  glad 
to  get  to  stay  without  either. 

It  was  now  about  midnight.  We  put  the  horses  in  the  stable 
and  fed  them,  and  I  retired,  completely  worn  out  from  the  day's 
travel  and  night's  adventure,  as  well  as  from  hunger  and  exhaus- 
tion. However,  I  soon  fell  asleep,  first  to  dream  strange 
dreams,  then  to  see  visions,  at  the  same  time  to  be  undergoing 
the  most  dreadful  torture,  and  feeling  as  if  I  was  being  plucked 
and  pulled  in  pieces  and  dissected  alive ;  when  I  suddenly 
awoke  to  realize — oh,  horrors  ! — the  dreadful  surroundings,  and 
condition  and  situation  I  was  in.  To  say  there  were,  numeri- 
cally, almost  thousands  of  bed-bugs,  many  of  them  of  immense 
size,  and  all  ferocious  and  hungry,  at  work  on  me  and  on  that 
bed,  scarcely  expresses  it.  It  was  all  but  covered  I  got  up 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  237 

at  once,  shook  myself,  dressed  myself,  and  taking  a  quilt  from 
the  bed,  shook  it  thoroughly,  and,  winding  it  around  me, 
climbed  into  a  large,  high,  old  rocking  chair  in  the  middle  of 
the  room,  tucking  up  my  feet,  and  there  remained  till  daylight, 
when  I  called  the  landlord,  hitched  up  my  horses — one  of 
which  I  found  sick — paid  my  reckoning  (no  extra  charge  for 
bugs,  which  he  may  have  forgotten  to  include  in  the  bill),  in- 
quired the  road  I  should  take,  and  was  informed  that  I  was  on 
the  wrong  one,  and  had  been  for  many  long  miles  back,  even 
before  starting  down  the  mountain.  That  day  it  not  only 
rained,  but  poured  down  in  torrents,  and  the  harder  it  rained, 
the  faster  I  travelled,  making  the  journey  of  forty  miles  or 
more  without  stopping  for  shelter  or  food,  and  so  reached  the 
end  of  my  journey  by  nightfall.  And  now,  my  dear  Boys,  I 
bid  you  good  night  tril  I  write  to  you  again,  hoping  that  you 
will  excuse  this  rather  long  letter,  which  I  have  endeavored, 
however,  to  make  as  short  as  possible,  and  yet  so  as  to  give 
facts  in  detail.  And  from  this  you  may  readily  see  that  truth 
is,  indeed,  often  stranger  than  fiction. 


238  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Southern  Life  and  Scenes,  Continued.      More  Experiences  Given. 

MY  dear  Boy,  or  I  will  say,  Boys  :  for  I  shall  include  every 
one  of  you  who  read  these  pages,  and  want  to  tell  you  that  I 
love  all  good  boys,  and  may  as  well  add  just  here,  good  girls 
too,  and  want  to  ask  each  one  of  you,  and  then  wonder  to  my- 
self if  indeed  anyone,  old  or  young,  or  middle  aged,  ever  saw 
a  good  boy.  I  can  hardly  believe  that  there  are  anv  ;  I  know  I 
was  not ;  but  think  if  I  were  permitted  to  try  it  over  again  that 
I  might  be  better  than  I  was.  In  my  last  letter,  I  told  you  of 
quite  an  adventure,  another  one  of  my  narrow  escapes  with  my 
life  and  limbs,  and  how  almost  supernatural  strength  came  to 
my  aid  just  at  the  time  I  most  needed  it,  clearly  showing  how 
kind  and  merciful  Providence  is,  in  times  of  greatest  need. 
And  now  I  will  tell  you  what  occurred  to  me  in  the  v. 
another  narrow  escape,  after  my  return  home,  I  think  it  \\ 
was  boarding  at  a  hotel,  and  one  day  at  dinner,  after  sipping  a 
dish  of  soup  I  began  eating  something,  but  in  a  few  minutes  I 
felt  very  strangely,  and  presently  turned  dizzy  and  almost 
blind,  and  began  to  feel  very  sick  indeed,  and  I  then  realized 
that  I  was  poisoned,  and  getting  up  from  the  table,  I  staggered 
to  the  door  and  started  for  my  office,  only  a  little  way  off,  but 
before  reaching  it,  I  began  retching  and  vomiting.  I  however, 
got  there  at  last  but  completely  exhausted,  and  went  to  my 
room  and  dropped  down  on  the  bed,  and  groaned  piteously 
and  loudly  too,  for  I  was  in  dreadful  suffering.  An  old  doc- 
tor in  an  adjoining  room  heard  me,  and  came  running  in,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  239 

assured  me  he  thought  I  was  dying,  asking  what  was  the  mat- 
ter ?  I  told  him  I  had  got  a  dose  of  some  dreadful  poison,  but 
did  not  know  just  what,  and  told  him  to  get  me  an  emetic  of 
some  kind  as  quick  as  possible,  which  he  prepared  in  a  very 
few  minutes  by  taking  a  large  cup  of  warm  water  which  hap- 
pened to  be  near  at  hand,  and  stirring  in  a  quantity  of  ground 
mustard,  had  me  drink  it  at  once,  and  then  began  to  prepare 
another  in  the  same  way.  In  the  meantime,  my  eyelids  had 
swollen  almost  shut,  and  become  very  red,  my  face  bloated, 
and  all  over  my  head  and  body  large  purple  spots  had  appeared. 
The  first  cup  of  warm  mustard  water  set  me  to  vomiting  again, 
and  the  perspiration  soon  broke  out  copiously,  and  together 
with  it  and  the  emetic,  I  soon  became  much  relieved.  I  did 
not  recover,  however,  from  the  poison  for  some  time.  It  so 
happened  that  others  also,  who  had  partaken  of  the  soup  that 
day,  were  made  very  sick  from  it,  but  it  seemed  that  I  got  the 
largest  dose,  and  therefore  suffered  the  most.  It  was  after- 
wards ascertained  the  greasy  vegetable  soup  had  been  standing 
for  some  time  in  a  large  copper  vessel,  and  on  being  boiled  or 
warmed  over  again  had  caused  verdigris,  which  is  a  very  deadly 
poison  when  left  to  work  its  results,  to  rise  on  the  surface. 
This  is  about  the  only  time  I  remember  ever  being  badly  pois- 
oned, except  occasionally  by  heroic  doses  of  poisonous  drugs 
and  medicines,  administered  secundum  artem,  but  I  had  to 
quit  the  latter  long  ago,  or  I  should  not  be  alive  today  to  tell 
you  these,  things. 

I  might  relate  many  other  little  incidents  which  transpired 
during  my  residence  in  Louisiana,  though  some  of  which  were 
not  such  as  to  delight  me  at  the  time,  but  many,  however,  were 
very  pleasing  to  me,  and  recalling  them  again  to  memory,  as  I 


240  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

now  write,  carries  me  back  in  the  fond  recollection  of  happy 
days,  many  of  which  indeed,  were  among  the  happiest  I  have 
ever  enjoyed  since  leaving  my  boyhood's  home  to  try  the  stern 
realities  of  life,  often  far  away  from  kindred  ties  and  loved 
ones.  After  some  years  spent  in  Louisiana,  I  thought  it  better 
for  my  health  to  make  a  change.  Before  moving  away  from 
the  State  however,  to  remain,  I  took  quite  a  long  tour  up  North, 
visiting  my  old  home  and  relations,  and  from  thence  went 
East  as  far  as  Boston,  via  Buffalo,  Niagara  Falls,  and  Xew 
York.  This  was  my  first  visit  so  far  East,  but  have  travelled 
over  the  same  road  often  since.  At  the  same  time,  I  took  a 
tour  over  the  Canadas,  going  as  far  down  as  Quebec  and  Moni- 
morenci  Falls.  At  Quebec,  I  visited  the  battlefield  made  fa- 
mous in  history,  where  General  Wolfe  fell.  At  Montreal,  I 
crossed  over  upon  the  great  Queen  Victoria  tubular  iron  bridge 
which  was  then  just  newly  finished.  My  ride  down  the 
river  St.  Lawrence,  and  through  those  narrow,  and  exceeding 
dangerous  rapids  and  straits,  which  course  their  ways,  leaping, 
tumbling,  jumping  and  seething,  and  at  the  tremendous  rate  of 
twenty  miles  an  hour,  whilst  the  beautiful  screw  steamers  that 
ply  those  waters,  when  entering  upon  those  rapids  not  only 
shut  off  all  steam,  but  placed  four  pilots  at  each  wheel,  to  guide 
the  vessel  safely  through  and  over  those  exceeding  narrow,  dan- 
gerous, and  perilous  falls,  walled  in  on  either  side  perpendicu- 
larly and  of  great  height,  with  solid  rough  jagged  granite.  It 
was  interesting  to  notice  the  pale  features  of  many  of  the 
passengers,  while  running  those  dangerous  rapids  at  such  a 
frightful  rate  of  railroad  speed,  when  to  have  missed  the  chan- 
nel at  any  moment  for  a  few  feet  only,  would  have  been  certain 
destruction  to  all.  I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  my  feelings 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR.  241 

on  my  first  visit  to  Niagara  Falls,  or  the  impression  they 
made,  nor  can  I  here  take  time  to  describe  the  Falls  them- 
selves ;  but  well  remember  seeing  Blondin  perform  his  first 
wonderful  and  perilous  feat,  of  walking  across  the  river  below 
the  Falls  on  a  tight  rope,  and  at  the  same  time  wheeling  a 
wheelbarrow,  on  his  return  to  the  American  shore,  while  many 
thousands  looked  on  in  awe  and  admiration  on  either  side. 
Not  being  a  Bank  Cashier  or  Treasurer,  or  President  of  some 
Railroad  Company,  I  had  no  occasion  to  remain  in  Canada, 
and  therefore  returned  to  our  own  Country  via  New  York,  in 
which  City  I  remained  long  enough  to  be  robbed  by  a  set  of 
sharpers,  who  were  just  looking  out  for  all  such  soft  snaps  as  I 
was,  who  had  money. 

I  need  not  tell  you  just  how  this  was  done,  for  there  are  a 
thousand  different  ways,  but  soon  after  left  the  city ;  not,  how- 
ever, till  after  going  around  to  the  Peabody  Institute,  at  the 
notable  place  known  as  the  Five  Points,  and  there  selecting  two 
orphan  children — a  male  and  female — out  of  some  hundreds  of 
miserable  little  waifs,  to  take  with  me  on  my  return  home  South 
again.  This  I  did  at  the  special  request  of  my  father  and 
mother,  who  wanted  to  take  them  to  bring  up.  This  seemed 
a  little  strange,  too,  after  they  had  raised  quite  a  dozen  of  as 
mischievous,  not  to  say  bad,  children  as  ever  did  grow  up  to- 
gether, probably.  The  reader  can  more  readily  believe  this 
from  the  author's  confession  of  his  own  boyish  exploits.  And 
now  to  think  our  parents  would  even  consent,  much  less  de- 
sire, to  take  upon  themselves  similar  burdens  in  their  rapidly 
advancing  old  age  !  However,  they  requested  it,  and  it  was 
my  pleasure  to  obey.  But  it  would,  no  doubt,  have  both 
amused  and  interested  you,  too,  to  have  seen  me  "  engineering  " 


242          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

those  two  little  orphan  "  Five  Pointers  "  out  of  New  York,  by 
way  of  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg,  Baltimore,  and  Washington, 
all  of  which  places  I  visited  on  my  return  ;  and  two  wild  colts, 
with  only  halters  on  them  to  be  led  with,  could  not  have  given 
me  more  trouble.  They  were  not  only  mischievous  in  a  gen- 
eral way,  but  diabolical  little  vixens.  However,  I  managed  to 
get  through  safely  with  them,  and  delivered  up  my  charge  to 
my  parents,  little  realizing  then  any  more  than  they  did  what 
an  infliction  I  had  brought  upon  them. 

Having  made  this,  my  second,  visit  home,  I  shortly  after  re- 
turned South  again  to  Louisiana,  taking  a  younger  brother  with 
me,  and  after  a  long,  tedious  journey  by  rail  to  St.  Louis,  and 
from  thence  by  steamer  to  New  Orleans,  and  then  again  up 
Red  River,  till  we  could  go  no  further  on  account  of  low  water, 
after  hanging  on  bars  in  the  river  for  days,  and  days  and  nights, 
in  the  broiling  sun,  amusing  ourselves  shooting  the  alligators, 
which  often  appeared  in  sight,  and  seeing  them  switch  their 
tails  and  run  away  ;  we  finally  grew  tired  of  such  slow  speed  in 
getting  on,  so  forsook  the  little  craft  and  took  to  the  woods, 
completing  our  journey  overland  for  more  than  one  hundred 
miles,  and  so  reached  our  journey's  end  at  our  home  in  Shreve- 
port.  This  was  my  younger  brother — William's — first  visit  to, 
and  experience  in,  the  South,  and,  of  course,  everything  was 
novel  and  strange  enough  to  him. 

His  first  experience,  by  way  of  making  a  sort  of  lasting  im- 
pression, perhaps,  upon  him,  occurred  at  St.  Louis  when  going 
aboard  the  steamer.  After  paying  our  fare  and  selecting  our 
stateroom,  we  went  into  it  at  night ;  he  divested  himself  of  his 
coat  and  vest,  hanging  the  same  upon  a  hook,  together  with 
his  watch,  and  leaving  the  door  unfastened,  stepped  out  to  re- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          243 

main  awhile,  as  the  heat  was  very  oppressive  on  the  boat  be- 
fore starting.  On  returning  to  retire  for  the  night,  and  looking 
to  see  the  time,  he  found  his  coat  and  vest  still  there,  but  in 
some  very  mysterious  and  unaccountable  way  the  watch  had 
disappeared. 

During  the  following  winter,  my  health  having  become  bad, 
I  determined  on  making  a  long  tour  through  Texas  by  private 
conveyance,  leaving  my  brother  to  look  after  matters  at  home 
during  my  absence.  The  season,  however,  was  a  bad  one  for 
travel;  cold  weather,  snow  and  rain  quite  constantly,  with 
deep  mud,  attended  my  journey  through,  till,  after  becoming 
tired  of  such  "  health  restoratives  "  as  Texas  afforded  in  the 
way  of  general  living,  with  a  superabundance  of  "  climate,"  I 
finally  struck  a  straight  course  for  Houston,  near  the  Gulf 
Coast,  at  which  place  I  sold,  or  partly  gave  away,  my  carriage 
and  horses,  to  get  rid  of  them.  I  may  as  well  here  add,  for 
others'  amusement,  and  to  complete  the  whole  picture  of  my 
folly  on  this  Texas  trip,  I  let  an  old  doctor  accompany  me  to 
"  take  care  of  me,"  just  how  well  I  will  here  briefly  state.  Be- 
fore starting,  however,  my  "  doctor "  informed  me  that  his 
wardrobe  was  a  "  little  seedy,"  and  that,  owing  to  certain  drafts 
and  land  warrants  having  failed  to  reach  him,  he  "  would  be 
glad  if  I  would  give  him  a  little  order  upon  my  merchant,  so 
that  he  could  replenish  himself,"  and  this  I  did  thoughtlessly, 
without  limit  as  to  amount ;  but  when  the  bills  were  brought 
in,  I  was  a"  little  astonished,  but  he  assured  me  his  "  drafts  " 
would  be  forthcoming  in  a  few  days,  or  shortly  afterwards,  and 
"all  would  be  made  right";  but  these  aforesaid  "drafts"  I 
hardly  think  have  reached  him  yet,  unless  in  "  another  coun- 
try," to  which  I  heard  he  afterwards  went.  On  our  journeyings 


244  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE  AUTHOR. 

I  soon  discovered  that  my  genial  friend  and  newly  made  com- 
panion de  voyage  was  not  only  a  great  tobacco  worm,  both  in 
chewing  and  smoking,  too,  the  expense  of  which,  of  course, 
had  to  come  out  of  my  pocket,  but  also  that  the  "  drafts  ''  upon 
me  for  tobacco  money  came,  as  I  thought,  rather  often,  and 
soon  learned,  with  regret,  that  "  mein  frendt  "  was  indulging  in 
"drafts"  of  a  fluidic  nature  at  every  opportunity,  till  he  would 
often  become,  not  only  "  funny,"  but  even  hilarious,  so  as  to 
compel  me  to  cut  off  his  "  tobacco  "  supply,  at  least  in  part. 
But  he  "  dressed  well "  all  the  same,  you  know — in  fact,  I  dis- 
covered he  could  outdress  me  without  the  least  effort,  being  the 
finest  looking  man  of  the  two,  for  he  was  rosy  complexioned 
and  jolly. 

After  disposing  of  my  carriage  and  horses  at  Houston,  and 
parting  with  my  friend,  "  the  doctor,"  I  went  from  there  to 
Galveston,  and  from  thence  by  way  of  Mobile  by  steamer  across 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  New  Orleans,  and  from  thence  up  the 
Red  River  again  to  S .  That  spring  I  very  reluctantly  part- 
ed with  my  brother,  he  taking  a  circuitous  route  up  Red  River 
some  distance  further,  and  then  disembarked,  making  his  way 
through  the  wilds  of  Africa — or  rather  I  should  have  said  Ar- 
kansas—by way  of  Tex-arkana,  Hot  Springs,  Little  Rock,  and 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  and  from  thence  back  to  our  old  home  in  In- 
diana, 

I  remained  in  Louisiana  till  that  summer,  when  I  wound  up 
my  affairs  there  and  moved  to  Memphis,  Tenn.,  to  live.  My 
career  in  Memphis  commenced  in  the  summer  of  186-,  when 
I  opened  an  office  and  began  to  practice  my  profession.  The 
outlook  for  success  was  neither  inviting  nor  very  promising,  as 
the  profession  was  already  then  a  "  little  crowded,"  though  not 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  245 

of  the  higher  order  generally,  and  prices  only  about  half  of 
what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  further  south,  or  in  Louisiana 
and  Texas.  But  I  soon  began  to  make  acquaintances,  get 
practice,  and  gain  reputation. 

In  the  meantime,  that  autumn  however,  I  was  suddenly  tak- 
en violently  ill  with  a  new  type  of  malarial  fever,  known  as 
"  Danguea,"  or  break-bone  fever.  This  name  I  thought  very 
appropriate,  for  while  I  lay  for  nearly  two  weeks  with  this 
dreadful  fever,  taking  scarcely  any  nourishment  at  all,  or  sleep- 
ing either  all  that  time,  I  felt  as  if  I  had  been  thumped  and 
pounded,  and  all  my  bones  broken  on  the  rack ;  nor  could  I 
scarcely  turn  in  bed,  but  had  to  lie  flat  upon  my  back  ;  and 
therefore  concluded  that  this  type  of  fever  was  not  so  very 
"  gay  "  after  all ! 

This  type  of  fever  seemed  to  be  but  little  understood  in  the 
South  just  then,  and  especially  by  the  physician  who  was  attend- 
ing me,  and  seemed  by  no  means  inclined  to  yield  to  his  treat- 
ment. And  being  puzzled  over  my  case,  and  rather  uneasy  lest 
he  might  lose  his  patient,  on  my  questioning  him  a  little  close- 
ly, he  frankly  acknowledged  that  he  did  not  understand  my 
case,  and  suggested  consultation,  which  I  had  called  in  at  once. 
By  this  time,  however,  the  disease  had  come  to  a  crisis,  any- 
how, and  if  one  suffering  with  it  does  not  happen  just  then  to 
drop  off,  the  prognosis  becomes  favorable  for  his  recovery. 
And  as  these  two  lineal  descendants  of  Esculapius  happened 
not  to  give  *me  anything  to  prevent  my  recovery,  I  soon  found 
a  change  had  occurred  for  the  better,  and  in  a  few  weeks  was 
quite  convalescent. 

The  nature  of  this  terrible  fever,  when  it  seizes  its  victim,  is 
to  generally  hold  on,  regardless  of  treatment,  till  it  runs  its 
course,  causing  the  most  dreadful  and  indescribable  aches  and 


246  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

pains  every  moment,  day  and  night,  never  "letting  up"  on  the 
poor  sufferer  for  a  moment,  and  usually  lasting  for  two  weeks 
or  longer  before  running  its  course.  This  fever  I  learned  was 
very  prevalent  in  the  South  that  fall,  and  in  the  town  of  Hous- 
ton, Texas,  alone  there  were  no  less  than  500  cases  reported  at 
once ;  and  the  same  paper  commenting  upon  it,  said  that  al- 
though break-bone  fever,  or  "  Danguea,"  seemed  to  be  fashion- 
able enough,  yet  it  was  not  so  entirely  satisfactory  as  one  might 
suppose,  for  in  point  of  fact,  the  suffering  was  something  dreadful. 
Still  the  victim  generally  need  not  feel  much  alarm,  as  it  was 
not  usually  fatal  in  its  termination,  and  those  who  were  thus 
suffering  with  sore  and  aching  bones,  joints  and  muscles,  and 
a  scorching  fever  bordering  on  delirium,  but  not  having  the 
fear  of  Tartarus  held  up  before  them,  did  nothing  but  lie  in 
bed,  and  grunt  and  groan  and  cuss.  On  my  partial  recovery, 
I  found  my  whole  system  much  depleted  and  very  feeble,  and 
enervated  as  well  as  tremulous,  so  that  for  some  time  after- 
wards I  could  scarcely  stand  upon  my  feet  or  move  round,  and 
when  attempting  to  operate  at  the  chair,  had  to  lean  against  it 
to  keep  from  falling  over.  I  eventually  recovered,  ho 
and  soon  began  to  succeed  well  in  my  profession,  so  that  by 
the  following  summer  my  practice  became  large  and  even  la- 
borious. In  the  meantime,  my  brother  who  had  studied  with 
me  in  the  South,  had  attended  lectures  in  the  Dental  College 
at  Cincinnati,  and  had  graduated  with  the  highest  honors, 
getting  his  diploma,  and  then  returned  to  engage  in  practice 
with  me  greatly  to  my  delight,  and  at  the  same  time  added  still 
greater  strength  and  eclat  to  the  firm  name,  it  now  being  J.  I>. 
W.  and  Bro.  instead  of  J.  B.  W.  alone,  and  our  practice  con- 
tinuing to  increase,  we  soon  had  all  we  could  both  do,  to  fill 
engagements. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          24? 

CHAPTER  IX. 

The  War  comes  on,  and  the  Southern  Rebellion  breaks  loose. 

As  it  will  be  remembered  by  many  who  are  still  living,  there 
had  been  a  perturbed  state  of  affairs  already  going  on  in  the 
political  horizon  for  some  years,  so  far  as  related  to  the  great 
question  of  slavery  and  emancipation.  And  as  the  strife  had 
gradually  increased  until  the  subject  could  no  longer  be  agitated 
either  in  Congress  or  out  of  it  without  the  most  bitter  asperity 
and  rancor  being  hurled  from  each  political  party  at  the  other. 
The  great  Crittenden  compromise  measure  had  been  rejected, 
as  well  as  Henry  Clay's  conciliatory  measure,  which  had  also 
been  repudiated.  And  nothing  seemed  necessary,  except  to 
touch  fire  to  the  fuse  which  had  already  been  laid  for  the  pur- 
pose of  springing  the  mine  now  prepared,  and  awaiting  the 
proper  moment.  The  South  had  already  declared  that  if  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  was  elected  President  of  the  U.  S.,  war  would  in- 
evitably follow.  This  was  just  what  the  North  wanted  and  had 
been  waiting  for.  And  right  glad  were  they  to  bring  about 
such  an  issue  by  the  election  of  their  candidate.  This  the 
South  understood  as  sounding  the  tocsin  of  war,  and  so  went 
to  work  with  a  hearty  good  will  to  prepare  for  the  conflict  now 
speedily  to  come.  And  although  the  South  was  in  no  way 
prepared  to  enter  upon  such  a  struggle,  nor  indeed  did  it  seem 
could  possibly  be  without  a  few  years'  preparation,  yet  with  in- 
credible and  almost  unprecedented  celerity,  they  had  made 
arrangements  to  resist  the  very  first  seeming  cause  or  provo- 
cation for  warfare,  either  defensive  or  offensive  as  the  case 
might  be.  And  even  before  very  many,  either  North  or  South 


248  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

had  contemplated  or  looked  for  such  a  coup  d'etat,  the  Rebel 
guns  were  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter.  This  was  indeed  the  toc- 
sin which  sounded  in  earnest,  and  plainly  told  no  more  child's 
play  lay  in  the  immediate  future.  Soon  the  whole  North  as 
well  as  South  was  in  a  blaze  of  the  most  intense  excitement 
simultaneously,  and  the  cry  of  War,  war,  was  heralded  through- 
out the  entire  length  and  breadth  of  our  once  quiet,  peaceful 
and  beautiful  land. 

And  in  less  time,  it  would  seem,  almost,  than  for  the  historian 
to  write  it,  the  whole  entire  North,  as  well  as  South,  seemed  con- 
verted from  the  peaceful  pursuits  of  husbandry,  etc.,  into  one 
vast  drill  camp  Every  conceivable  preparation  was  speedily 
made,  and  factories  sprung  up  everywhere  as  if  by  magic  for 
the  manufacture  of  all  manner  of  fire  arms,  sabres,  swords,  and 
all  other  munitions  of  war.  Camp  fires  were  kindled 
where,  whilst  even  all  the  towns  and  cities  throughout  both 
now  the  North  and  South  (but  I  speak  of  the  latter  especially, 
as  I  was  eye-witness  to  these  things  there),  bonfires  were  kindled, 
torches  lighted,  etc.,  and  bands  of  music  paraded  the  streets, 
trailing  the  dear  United  States  stars  and  stripes  in  the  dust, 
with  general  shouting  and  rejoicing — at  what  ?  Simply  at  the 
inevitable  doom  which  awaited  not  only  our  whole  fair  land, 
once  peace  and  prosperity,  both  North  and  South,  but  the 
South  especially.  Inflammatory  speeches  were  made,  vigilance 
committees  were  established,  martial  law  proclaimed,  and  the 
whole  country,  towns  and  cities,  declared  in  a  state  of  siege. 

But,  as  I  do  not  purpose  writing  a  history  of  that  war,  I  will 
pass  on,  stating,  however,  I  remained  a  sort  of  "  looker  on  in 
Venice,"  and  instead  of  joining  in  with  a  hearty  good  will,  I 
stood  aloof,  shedding  tears  over  the  desecration  and  demolition 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR.  249 

of  the  dear  old  flag  of  our  fathers,  and  prophesying  that  the 
first  gun  fired  upon  Fort  Sumter  was  not  only  the  tocsin  sound- 
ed for  the  most  cruel,  internal,  intestinal,  fratricidal,  bloody 
war  that  has  ever  marked  ihe  pages  of  history,  but  that  it  was 
also  the  death  knell  to  the  peculiar  and  accursed  institution  of 
slavery,  as  it  now  existed ;  and  that  the  end  of  both  would  come 
by  and  by,  but  that  all  of  us  would  not  live  to  see  that  end. 
And  for  this  outburst  of  sentimental  prophecy  I  was  simply 
jeered  and  laughed  at,  especially  by  some  good  Northern 
friends,  such  as  merchants  and  others,  then  making  their 
homes  in  the  South,  and  showing  their  greed  and  devotion  to 
the  Southern  cause  by  leading  in  processions,  trailing  the  flag, 
etc. 

Well,  to  make  this  story  short,  I  need  hardly  add  that  no 
sane  Northern  man,  then  a  resident  in  the  South,  seemed  to 
treat  the  whole  matter  otherwise  than  as  a  sort  of  huge  joke, 
not  believing,  or  seemingly  unable  to  realize,  that  all  these 
things  did  mean  war,  dreadful  war  and  bloodshed,  even  be- 
tween brothers,  fathers  and  sons,  and  forgetting  that  the  exem- 
plification of  the  fable  that  although  "  sport  to  the  boys  [now], 
but  death  to  the  frogs,"  was  sure  to  follow.  And  just  here  it 
may  not  seem  malapropos  to  quote  a  single  line  which  I  bor- 
row from  Pope :  "  Fools  rush  in  where  angels  fear  to  tread." 
But  this  indeed  is  no  unusual  thing,  for  we  see  it  often  exem- 
plified in  many  ways  and  instances  daily  through  life. 

But  to  return  again  to  our  subject  more  directly.  Not  being 
naturally  of  very  rebellious  or  pugnacious  character,  but  rather 
more  of  a  quiet  and  peaceful  disposition  than  otherwise,  when 
I  was  invited  to  join  in,  first  on  the  rebel  side,  I  declined,  on 
the  grounds  that  the  fight  was  not  of  my  getting  up,  and  inas- 


250  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR. 

much  as  I  had  had  no  agency  in  the  matter,  I   proposed  to 
those  who  had  brought  it  about  to  now  go  in  and  fight  it  out. 

The  time,  however,  soon  came  that  a  simple  disclaimer  like 
this,  or  even  a  desire  to  take  neutral  grounds,  was  not  just  the 
thing ;  and  soon  followed  general  orders  either  to  go  in,  or  go 
across  over  on  the  other  side  of  the  lines. 

But  even  this  did  not  suit  me,  so  I  did  neither,  and  very  soon 
the  Conscript  Act  took  effect.  But  as  this  was  not  just  what  I 
wanted  either,  I  soon  found  a  Northern  man  whom  I  hired  as 
a  substitute,  and  who  went  in  with  alacrity  ;  and  the  next  thing 
I  heard  was  that  he  had  "jumped  the  bounty  "  and  got  back 
up  north  again,  ready  to  try  it  on  the  other  side.  But  I  knew 
from  the  very  look  of  the  man  before  I  put  him  in,  there 
could  be  no  harm  in  him  ;  for  if  he  could  have  free  access  to 
the  Commissary  Department,  and  an  **  eye-opener  "  occasion- 
ally, that  he  would  be  perfectly  satisfied. 

However,  I  found  it  necessary  to  repeat  the  substitute  ar- 
rangement before  the  "  Yankee  army,"  as  it  was  called,  came 
and  took  possession  of  our  city,  when  I  then  found  it  just  as 
necessary  to  substitute  on  the  other  side.  And  finding  myself 
placed  between  two  fires  during  the  whole  war,  and  thus  oscil- 
lating, as  it  were,  between  contending  armies,  it  had  well  nigh 
proved  too  much  for  me,  and  also  came  near  wearing  me  out, 
to  say  nothing  more. 

However,  my  brother  Will  and  I  both  joined  a  sort  of  "  stay 
at  home  guards  "  company,  and  did  our  usual  share  of  drilling 
just  for  exercise,  "you  know,"  and  occasionally  went  on  guard 
about  town,  but  continued  to  practice  our  profession  just  the 
same — patching  up  some  dreadfully  shattered  and  broken  reb- 
el jaws,  and  occasionally  a  Yankee's,  too,  as  it  would  happen. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR.  251 

And  on  one  occasion  in  my  absence,  my  brother  had  the  honor 
of  inserting  some  artificial  grinders  for  the  late  General  U.  S. 
Grant  himself,  who  was  well  pleased  at  the  result,  though  he 
had  not  then  attained  to  the  degree  of  eminence  which  he  af- 
terwards did,  both  in  the  army  and  as  Chief  Executive  of  the 
United  States. 

When  the  Federal  fleet  and  the  United  States  army  ap- 
proached Memphis,  I  stood  on  the  bluff  of  the  river,  and  wit- 
nessed that  memorable  naval  engagement,  and  saw  the  rebel 
fleet  melt  away  before  its  strong  adversary  and  formidable  foe, 
like  wax  melts  before  the  flame.  The  terrible  fight  did  not 
last  long,  but  it  was  sanguinary  and  dreadful  indeed,  whilst  it 
did  last,  and  many  a  poor  fellow  found  a  watery  grave,  though 
the  number,  perhaps,  was  never  fully  known.  We  have  no 
time  or  space  here  to  describe  the  scene. 

Immediately  after,  however,  Memphis  capitulated  to  her  re- 
lentless foe,  and  soon  Federal  army  law  prevailed.  All  rebel 
officers  and  soldiers  there  at  the  time  beat  a  hasty  retreat,  and 
the  corps  of  "Home  Guards,"  to  which  I  had  belonged,  was 
disbanded,  as  their  services  were  no  longer  needed  to  protect 
the  city,  and  a  general  stampede  now  took  place  with  many 
private  citizens,  as  well  as  rebel  soldiers  and  officers. 

"  All  to  go  below  into  Dixie's  Land 

And  there  to  live  or  die  ; 
All  to  take  their  stand, 

And  there  to  stay,  or  look  away 
And  live  or  die  in  Dixie." 

I,  however,  continued  to  stay  where  I  was,  having,  to  use 
an  old  familiar  Texan  phrase,  "came  there  first."  In  the 
meantime  I  had  extended  my  business  considerably  by  buying 


252          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

out  a  large  drug  establishment,  and  was  conducting  that  line 
of  business  also,  when  the  Federals  took  possession  of  the  city. 
But  this  proved  a  very  unfortunate  affair  for  me  afterwards, 
as  I  will  now  proceed  to  relate,  in  the  following  manner.  The 
Federal  army  regulations  were  exceedingly  stringent,  so  far  as 
related  to  contraband  supplies  of  every  description  being  car- 
ried across  the  rebel  lines,  and  guards  were  stationed  on  every 
road,  byway  and  path,  and,  in  fact,  everywhere  along  the  en- 
tire line,  to  prevent  smuggling  goods  through  the  lines  south. 
But  with  all  their  precaution  and  strict  measures,  supplies  of 
every  description,  and  in  every  conceivable  manner,  found  their 
way  south,  women  generally  being  the  most  successful  smug- 
glers. I  never  smuggled  anything  through  the  lines,  nor  did  I, 
indeed,  ever  attempt  it.  All  kinds  of  drugs  and  medicines 
were  strictly  contraband,  especially  such  articles  as  quinine, 
morphia,  opium,  etc.  And  as  I  was  engaged  in 'the  drug  bus- 
iness, of  course  I  and  my  establishment  were  watched  very 
closely,  especially  when  drugs  were  continually  going  through 
the  lines ;  but  it  was  not  known  by  whom  sent,  or  from  what 
house.  A  most  rascally  and  villainous  practice  of  levying 
blackmail  upon  any  and  every  one,  regardless  of  whom  they 
were,  was  carried  on  by  the  Federal  officers  in  authority,  who 
often  employed  thieves  and  pickpockets  to  do  their  dirty  work. 
And  in  this  way,  many  an  innocent  and  unsuspecting  party  fell 
a  victim  to  their  unscrupulous  designs  and  perfidious  cunning. 
The  consequence  was  that  no  man,  no  matter  who  or  how  hon- 
est, er  even  loyal  to  the  North,  could  do  business  with  any 
safety  to  property  or  person.  If  he  had  anything,  those  nefar- 
ious detectives  and  unprincipled,  drunken  officers  wanted  it ; 
and  at  one  time,  no  fewer  than  about  two  hundred  of  the  best 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  253 

law-abiding  citizens  and  merchants  were  arrested  and  put  in 
confinement,  and  their  places  of  business  locked  up,  for  various 
offenses,  crimes,  etc.,  as  alleged  by  detectives,  who  often  per- 
jured themselves  under  oath ;  and  I  found  myself  one  among 
the  number  who  had  to  thus  suffer ;  and  having  a  good  stock 
of  such  articles  in  store  as  were  wanted,  it  was  determined  to 
confiscate  all  I  had,  not  for  the  Government,  but  for  private 
consumption  ;  and  the  commander  of  the  post  at  that  time,  be- 
ing a  great  drunkard  and  gambler,  could  no  doubt  find  use  for 
all  the  money  he  could  raise  by  any  possible  means.  And  I, 
knowing  this,  soon  discovered  my  quickest  and  easiest  way  to 
get  out  of  the  whole  difficulty  was  to  buy  out ;  and  this  I  did, 
on  the  very  best  terms  I  could,  though  even  then  it  cost  me 
dear  enough  to  get  out  of  their  clutches,  and  get  my  place  of 
business  back  again  and  open  for  business;  for  they,  having 
the  keys  of  my  place  during  the  time  I  was  under  arrest,  of 
course  had  every  chance  to  get  away  with  all  they  wanted.  And 
on  taking  possession  again,  I  found  "shrinkage,"  in  the  way  of 
stealing,  no  small  matter. 

My  health  before  this  occurred  being  already  bad,  the  ail- 
ment I  had  been  laboring  under  had  already  assumed  a  chron- 
ic form  ;  and  my  system  had  become  so  emaciated  and  run 
down  that  I  much  feared  I  had  now  become  a  confirmed  in- 
valid, and  possibly  beyond  all  possible  recovery.  And  in  this 
condition  I  plainly  saw  that  my  only  hope  lay  in  freeing  my- 
self, not  ojily  from  the  poisoned  malarial  atmosphere  surround- 
ing me,  but  in  getting  away  from  all  business  troubles  of  every 
kind  ;  and  in  order  to  do  this  I  must  not  only  leave  that  place 
and  country,  but  even  the  United  States,  if  possible.  And  af- 
ter having  so  decided,  and  feeling  there  was  no  time  to  lose,  I 


254  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

made  my  arrangements  at  once,  and  bidding  my  brother  and 
clerks,  for  anything  I  knew,  a  final  adieu,  leaving  my  brother  in 
charge  of  everything,  I  took  my  departure  for  Europe,  going  via 
Indiana,  once  more  to  visit  my  parents  and  family,  and  then 
part  with  them  also.  Going  on  from  there  directly  to  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  procuring  a  passport,  I  went  from  thence  to 
New  York. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR.  255 

CHAPTER  X. 

My  First  Voyage  across  the  Atlantic.     Storm  at  Sea. 

My  Dear  Young  Friends  :  (I  thus  address  you,  feeling  as  if 
it  is  likely  that  you  will  take  more  interest  in  this  chapter  than 
your  elders).  In  my  last  letter  I  told  you  that  I  had  arrived 
at  New  York  overland  by  rail,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
voyage  across  the  ocean,  but  did  not  tell  you  how  feeble  I  was 
on  the  road,  being  scarcely  able  much  of  the  time  to  stand  on 
my  feet,  or  to  walk  with  the  assistance  of  a  cane. 

I  was  of  course  compelled  to  travel  slowly,  resting  in  differ- 
ent cities  on  the  way,  and  avoiding  night  travel ;  and  on  leav- 
ing the  City  of  Brotherly  Love,  Philadelphia,  very  early  in 
the  morning,  I  was  robbed,  I  think  as  I  was  going  aboard  the 
ferry,  by  having  my  purse  of  gold  extracted  from  my  pocket 
during  the  rush  and  jam  by  some  pickpocket.  I  missed  the 
purse  soon  afterwards,  and  felt  the  loss  more,  not  that  I  had 
much  of  the  precious  metal  with  me,  but  what  I  had  was  val- 
uable— a  dollar  in  gold  being  worth  then  two  and  a  half  in 
greenbacks. 

After  crossing  the  ferry  and  getting  seated  in  the  car  and  on 
my  way  to  New  York,  I  bought  a  morning's  paper,  and  on  open- 
ing it  to  read,  found  myself  so  blind  that  I  could  scarcely  make 
out  the  name  of  the  paper  in  the  large  letters  of  the  heading, 
much  less  read  ordinary  print.  This  of  course,  was  a  very  un- 
expected and  sad  thing  for  me,  just  starting  as  I  was  on  a  long 
journey  to  foreign  lands,  and  alone.  I  continued  on  till  I 
reached  New  York,  spending  only  a  few  days  there  making 
some  purchases  of  drugs,  medicines,  etc.,  to  ship  back  to  Mem- 
phis. 


256  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

Finding  a  steamship  lying  out  at  anchor  in  the  bay  and  quite 
ready  to  sail  for  Liverpool,  I  paid  my  passage,  went  aboard, 
climbing  up  the  staging  step  by  step  aided  by  my  cane,  descend- 
ed into  my  little  room,  and  lay  down  in  my  berth,  or  rather 
small  trough  in  the  side  of  the  ship,  to  rest  a  little.  Soon  the 
pilot,  the  U.  S.  mail,  and  all  else  were  brought  on  board  pre- 
paratory to  starting,  the  vessel  raised  steam,  weighed  anchor, 
hoisted  her  sails,  drew  in  the  staging,  and  was  soon  gliding  out 
of  the  splendid  bay  of  the  great  city  of  New  York  on  her  east- 
ward course.  I  arose  from  my  bed,  went  up  on  deck,  and 
took  one  long,  lingering,  farewell  look  at  the  great  city  now 
lying  behind  us,  and  rapidly  fading  from  my  gaze,  as  well  as  the 
beautiful  land  of  my  native  home,  all  of  which  soon  appeared 
as  a  small  speck  in  the  dim  distance  on  the  horizon  ;  and  in  a 
little  while  the  dearly  loved  continent  of  America  had  entirely 
faded  from  sight,  when  naught  remained  but  the  little  craft  on 
which  I  rode,  the  deep  blue  waters  beneath  and  around,  and 
the  blue  vaulted  sky  above,  in  the  twilight  of  a  summer's  even- 
ing. 

Being  very  feeble,  and  in  great  need  of  rest  and  quiet,  I  again 
descended  to  my  little  narrow  room  below,  and  undressing,  re- 
tired for  the  night.  Not,  however,  to  enjoy  rest  and  sweet 
sleep  so  much  needed  by  tired  nature,  but  rather  to  be  tossed 
hither  and  hither  upon  the  rolling  waves.  At  last,  however, 
sleep,  balmy  sleep  came  with  its  thousand  thoughts  and  visions ; 
and  in  my  feverish  restlessness,  I  dreamed — dreamed  even  of 
companions  of  my  youth  and  joyous  days  of  boyhood  ;  dreamed 
of  all  dear  to  me  whom  I  had  left  far  away  in  my  Southern 
home,  so  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  to  them  ;  dreamed  of  my 
dear  aged  parents,  sisters  and  brothers,  and  of  the  tears  shed 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE    AUTHOR.  257 

at  our  sad  parting,  hardly  expecting  ever  to  meet  again  on  this 
side  of  that  bourne  from  which  no  traveller  returns,  the  testi- 
mony of  lying  spirits  to  the  contrary,  notwithstanding. 

And  after  spending  the  night  in  this  way,  I  again  awoke 
from  my  dreams  and  visions,  arose,  made  my  toilet,  and  again 
ascended  to  the  upper  deck  to  behold  the  beautiful  bright  sun, 
that  luminous  world  a  million  and  a  half  times  larger  than  our 
globe,  rising  up  in  its  dazzling  splendor  far  away  out  of  the 
liquid  waves  of  old  ocean,  ready  prepared  as  a  strong  man  to 
run  the  race  of  another  day.  And  I  then  felt  and  could  even 
exclaim  with  the  wise  preacher  :  "  Truly  the  light  is  sweet, 
and  a  pleasant  thing  it.  is  for  the  eyes  to  behold  the  sun."  (Ecc. 

n:7.) 

But, -my  young  friends,  did  you  ever  stand  and  contemplate 
that  bright  orb  of  day,  as  it  rises  before  your  eyes  in  the  morn- 
ing, looking  no  larger  than  a  good  sized  hoop  in  circumference 
but  is  really  885,680  miles  in  diameter,  while  our  globe  is  only 
8,000  miles  in  diameter  ?  And  in  the  matter  of  the  sun's  sub- 
stance, it  would  balance  352,000  worlds  like  ours.  Consider 
what  immensity  is  this.  And  yet,  as  you  well  know,  our  little 
globe  is  no  small  speck.  But  it  is  well  known  that  this  bright 
sun  which  we  behold,  and  which  gives  us  light  and  heat,  is  far 
from  being  the  largest  and  brightest  of  the  orbs  which  drive 
their  shining  chariots  in  myriads  more  than  can  be  counted 
through  the  heavens.  And  although  the  sun  is  no  less  than 
ninety-five  millions  of  miles  from  us,  yet  far  away  in  the  depths 
of  space,  so  far  indeed  as  to  appear  only  like  mere  specks  or 
points  of  light,  we  see  other  blazing  orbs  of  light,  far  greater  in 
glory  and  dazzling  splendor,  and  vaster  in  magnitude,  viz  :  The 
first  fixed  star,  called  Alpha-Centanor,  in  the  southern  hemi- 


258  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR. 

sphere,  is  discovered  to  be,  by  actual  measurement,  nineteen 
thousand  billion  miles  away,  but  the  pole-star  system  or  planet 
is  even  yet  a  five  times  greater  distance  from  us,  or  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty-five  thousand  billions  of  miles,  and  shines  with 
a  lustre  equal  to  that  of  eighty-six  of  our  suns,  whilst  others  are 
still  larger  and  more  lustrous  still :  Vega,  for  instance,  which 
emits  light  equal  to  three  hundred  and  forty-four  of  our  suns  ; 
Capella  four  hundred  and  thirty ;  Arcturus  five  hundred  and 
sixteen.  And  thus  we  might  continue  to  enumerate  and  dwell 
upon  this  most  sublime  and  interesting  subject  of  Astronomy, 
but  must  return  again  to  our  voyage,  and  will  say  that  we  had 
a  calm  sea  and  pleasant  weather  enough  for  some  three  days 
and  nights,  when  in  the  afternoon  of  the  fourth  day,  thick, 
dark  and  threatening  clouds  arose  in  the  heavens,  and  soon 
nothing  but  heavy  clouds  above  and  a  troubled  sea  beneath  and 
above  was  to  be  seen.  Very  soon  muttering  thundc 
heard,  with  the  gleaming  flashes  of  lightning.  And  these  were 
the  signals  to  the  Captain  and  other  officers  to  furl  sails  and 
prepare  for  what  might  come  very  soon,  warned  by  the  rapid 
falling  of  the  barometer,  that  never  failing  monitor  of  approach- 
ing danger  at  sea.  As  night  came  on,  the  bellowing  thunder 
grew  louder,  the  forked  lightnings  played  round  the  mastheads 
of  the  ship  and  flashed  with  angry  gleamings  over  the  decks  ; 
when  suddenly  a  dreadful  storm  burst  upon  our  little  frail  ship 
in  all  its  fury,  and  as  she  still  continued  on  her  eastward  course 
plowing  the  angry  sea,  the  waves,  which  had  at  first  begun  to 
lift  their  crested  heads  of  white  foam,  now  became  frightful,  yet 
still  sublime  in  their  awful  grandeur,  rolling  up  like  mountains 
all  around  and  on  every  side  ;  while  our  ship  reeled  and  stag- 
gered like  a  drunken  man,  now  rising  up,  and  mounting  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE    AUTHOR.  259 

huge  billows,  and  then  after  poising  a  moment  on  their  sum- 
mits, suddenly  plunging  deep  down  into  the  angry  ocean,  as  if 
sinking  to  her  watery  grave ;  sometimes  almost  on  her  beam- 
ends,  then  for  a  little  while  would  seem  caught  in  a  narrow 
trough  of  the  sea  between  two  waves,  where  it  seemed  as  if  she 
must  be  crushed  like  an  egg-shell  between  the  heavy  seas,  while 
every  plank,  and  rib,  and  stick  of  timber  in  the  hull  seemed 
strained  to  its  utmost  tension,  when  suddenly  a  heavy  sea  would 
wash  over  the  entire  deck,  crushing  heavy  rods  and  bars  of 
brass,  and  the  thick  glass  over  the  skylights,  letting  a  flood  of 
water  pass  through  into  the  dining  saloon  and  cabins  below. 

During  all  this  time,  such  things  as  large  hampers  of  dishes 
and  heavy  trunks  were  pitched  and  thrown  in  every  direction 
below,  making  a  general  wreck  and  smashing  of  earthen  and 
china  ware.  In  the  meantime,  among  some  three  hundred  or 
more  living  souls  on  board,  among  whom  were  many  women 
and  children,  the  screaming  and  wailing  in  their  terror-stricken 
condition  was  quite  enough  to  move  the  more  calm  and  reflec- 
tive mind  to  pity,  at  least.  But  when  some  men  "  of  the  baset 
sort  "  were  seen  carousing,  drinking  liquor,  cursing  and  sv;ear- 
ing,  and  very  hilarious  while  this  dreadful  storm  was  raging  day 
and  night  (for  it  lasted  two  nights  and  a  day),  it  was  quite 
enough  to  make  one  think  that  surely  Dante  could  not  have 
had  a  more  striking  scene  to  draw  his  region  "  Inferno  "  from 
than  this.  It  did,  indeed,  appear,  whilst  all  were  shut  up  under 
tightly  closed  hatches  below  deck  for  all  this  long  period  (ex- 
cept the  officers  and  sailors  at  work,  striving  with  all  the  mind 
and  powers  given  them  from  above  to  save  the  vessel  from 
going  to  the  bottom),  that  Satan  himself,  "  the  Prince  of  the 
p jwer  of  the  air,"  had  indeed  taken  possession  of  many  of  these 


260  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

men's  hearts ;  and  he,  together  with  them,  was  holding  high 
carnival  and  rejoicing  in  the  general  terror  and  dreadful  suffer- 
ing of  terribly  frightened  women  and  children,  many  of  whom, 
as  well  as  some  invalids,  were  deathly  sick  all  the  lime  this 
was  going  on.  But  as  there  must  come  an  end  to  all  things, 
so  there  did  to  this  dreadful  storm,  which  in  my  poor  way  I  have 
endeavored  briefly  to  describe.  I  felt  then,  and  still  feel,  most 
thankful  to  our  Heavenly  Father  for  permitting  me  to  live 
through  it,  and  still  survive  to  tell  you  the  story.  And  in 
the  manifestation  of  God's  goodness  and  mercies  in  thus  pre- 
serving my  life,  even  amid  these  great  dangers  at  sea,  a 
as  in  the  numerous  instances  already  referred  to,  amid 
perils  and  dangers,  I  trust  that  many  of  my  readers,  both  old 
and  young,  may  be  led  to  see  that  I  have  been  wonderfully 
blessed  in  thus  being  shielded  from  so  many  dangers  plainly 
visible,  to  say  nothing  of  those  unseen  perils  to  which  everyone 
is  continually  exposed.  And  just  here  is  vividly  brought  to 
mind  a  beautiful  little  song  which  some  of  you  may  perhaps 
have  already  learned  and  sung ;  as  it  is  short,  I  will  repeat  it. 

"  All  the  way  my  Savior  leads  me, 

What  have  I  to  ask  beside  ? 
Can  I  doubt  his  tender  mercies 

Who  through  life  has  been  my  guide? 
Heavenly  rest,  divinest  comfort, 

Here  by  faith  in  him  to  dwell ; 
For,  I  know,  whate'er  befall  me, 

Jesus  doeth  all  things  well. 

"  All  the  way  my  Sivior  leads  me, 

Cheers  each  winding  path  I  tread, 
Gives  me  grace  for  every  trial, 
Feeds  me  with  the  living  bread  ; 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          261 

Though  my  weary  steps  may  falter, 

And  my  soul  athirst  may  be, 
Gushing  from  the  rock  before  me, 

Lo  !  a  spring  of  joy  I  see. 

"  All  the  way  my  Savior  leads  me, 

O,  the  fullness  of  his  love  ! 
Heavenly  rest  to  me  is  promised 

In  my  Father's  house  above. 
When  my  spirit,  clothed  immortal, 

Wings  its  flight  to  realms  of  day, 
This  my  song  through  endless  ages  : 

Jesus  led  me  all  the  way." 


262  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR, 


CHAPTER  XI. 

End  of  Voyage.     Tour  over  Ireland,  Scotland,  Wales  and  England. 

AFTER  the  terrible  storm  which  I  have  described  in  the  pre- 
ceding letter  had  subsided,  which  it  did  after  lasting  about 
thirty-six  hours,  we  had  no  longer  as  rough  a  sea  for  the  remain- 
der of  the  voyage ;  but  our  vessel  being  a  slow  one,  it  took 
eleven  days  to  cross  from  New  York  to  Queenstown,  on  the 
coast  of  Ireland,  where  I  landed,  together  with  a  few  other 
passengers. 

To  say  that  I  had  been  sick  the  whole  voyage  through,  hard- 
ly expresses  it,  for  being  very  feeble  and  emaciated  before 
starting,  and  having  no  appetite,  together  with  the  terribly  rough 
sea  part  of  the  time,  and  seasickness  all  the  time,  on  my  arriv- 
al at  Queenstown  I  found  myself  in  rather  sad  plight.  I  man- 
aged, however,  to  get  on  a  small  steamer  which  was  lying  wait- 
ing for  us,  and  soon  found  ourselves  steaming  up  that  charm- 
ing river  Lee,  immortalized  by  the  poet  who  sings  of 

"  The  Bells  of  Shandon,  which  sound  so  grand  on 
The  pleasant  waters  of  the  river  Lee  1 " 

which  presents  one  continuous  panoramic  view  of  the  grandest 
scenery  on  either -bank  along  its  serpentine  course  for  the  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  miles,  before  reaching  the  renowned  old  city  of 
Cork,  where  we  disembarked  ;  and  putting  up  at  Queen's  Hotel, 
I  decided  to  rest  a  few  days  before  making  a  general  tour  over 
the  island. 

While  there,  however,  I  visited  the  famous  historic  old  Blar- 
ney Castle,  also  St.  Ann's  Turkish  bathing  place,  some  five  or 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  263 

six  miles  from  Cork,  and  there  remained  a  few  days  to  try  the 
efficacy  of  the  baths.  From  thence  I  went  to  those  charming 
hills  and  lakes  of  Killarney,  about  one  hundred  miles  distant, 
and  which  have  been  so  often  described,  both  in  verse  and 
prose.  No  description,  however,  can  do  justice  to  their  loveli- 
ness. After  spending  a  few  days  there  very  delightfully,  I  again 
returned,  and  went  up  to  the  Giant's  Causeway,  and  from  there 
to  Dublin,  where  I  visited  the  great  Medical  Colleges,  also  oth- 
er places  of  interest  in  that  famous  old  city  and  its  environs  ; 
proceeding  next  to  Belfast,  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  where  the 
fine,  beautiful  Irish  linen  which  we  get  in  this  country  is  man- 
ufactured. Here  I  found  the  Irish  not  only  intelligent,  and 
many  of  them  well  educated,  but  also  Protestant,  and  very  so- 
ciable in  their  nature,  and  speaking  quite  as  clear  English  as 
myself  or  anyone  else — very  widely  in  contrast,  however,  with 
the  people  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  at  Cork,  Limerick,  and  oth- 
er places,  where  they  speak  a  sort  of  "  patois  "  or  gibberish  but 
little  understood  except  among  themselves  ;  also  their  poverty, 
squalor  and  wretchedness  I  found  ten  times  greater  than  in  the 
north  of  Ireland,  or  even  in  the  central  region  around  Dublin. 
My  stay  in  Ireland,  though  not  a  long  one,  I  enjoyed  quite 
as  much  as  that  in  any  country  I  visited  in  Europe  or  on  the 
Continent.  Nor  did  I  find  one  which  presents  more  of  real  in- 
terest and  attraction  to  a  traveler  seeking  knowledge  and  infor- 
mation. Its  name,  "  The  Emerald  Isle,"  is  also  significant,  for 
without  doubt,  it  is  the  greenest  spot  I  have  seen  on  earth. 
Everything  is  fresh  and  green,  except  the  smooth  macadamized 
roads,  level  as  a  floor  and  hard  as  adamant,  which  have  been 
travelled  over  for  long,  long  centuries  ;  everything  green  except 
the  numerous  old  ruins,  monuments  of  early  greatness,  crumb- 


264  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

ling  into  decay.  I  will  also  except  the  numerous  wide  stone 
walls  to  be  seen  everywhere,  dividing  each  little  domain  from 
its  neighbor.  These  varied  in  size  from  tracts  of  one-fourth  of 
an  acre,  to  those  containing  many  acres  ;  and  on  ascending  to 
the  summit  of  old  Blarney  Castle,  and  looking  over  the  Island 
as  far  around  as  my  eye  could  reach,  I  could  only  compare 
these  stone  walls  to  the  foundations  and  first  story  of  great 
houses  which  had  been  built  just  so  high,  but  had  never  pro- 
gressed any  further  towards  completion,  and  having  been  aban- 
doned, were  now  crumbling  to  decay  and  ruin.  On  enquiring 
the  reason  for  so  many  stone  walls  and  of  such  great  thickness, 
I  was  informed  that  at  an  early  day  the  whole  island,  or  a  great 
part  of  it,  was  thickly  covered  with  stones,  and  in  order  to  get 
them  out  of  the  way  and  to  make  room  for  raising  potatoes, 
grain,  grass,  etc.,  they  built  them  into  immense  and  innumer- 
able stone  walls,  as  they  could  neither  burn  them  up  nor  bury 
them,  and  so  in  this  way  utilized  them  for  a  purpose. 

Some  parts  of  the  Island  abound  in  peat,  which  is  cut  out 
in  square  chunks  or  blocks,  and  let  dry  in  the  sun,  to  be  used 
for  fuel;  most  of  the  Irish  huts  or  shanties  are  also  built  from 
this  material,  and  often  sodded  over  or  covered  with  the  same. 
These  wretched  huts  make  miserable  dwellings,  always  small, 
no  windows,  fireplace  or  chimney ;  and  often  the  pigs,  cows, 
children  and  parents  occupy  them  together  indiscriminately. 
Crossing  what  is  known  as  the  Irish  Channel,  in  the  North,  I 
at  once  found  myself  among  the  Highlands  of  Scotland  :  and 
my  visits  to  the  great  cities  of  Glasgow,  Edinburgh,  Aberdeen, 
etc.,  also  Melrose  Abbey,  Abbotsford  (the  home  of  the  immor- 
tal bard — Sir  Walter  Scott),  etc.,  and  many  other  places  of 
great  interest  to  every  Scotchman,  as  well  as  to  the  traveler,  I 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  265 

have  only  time  to  mention  here  very  briefly.  I  found  Edin- 
burgh one  of  the  most  unique,  quaint,  and  most  remarkable  of 
ancient  cities  I  have  ever  visited  in  my  life  ;  and  every  day  and 
hour  that  I  spent  there  afforded  new  scenes  of  marked  inter- 
est, many  of  which  are  historic,  and  date  back  for  centuries. 

I  visited  the  exquisitely  beautiful,  tall  monument,  towering 
up  to  a  great  height,  and  which  can  be  ascended  by  its  hun- 
reds  of  stone  steps,  and  from  the  summit  of  which  the  whole 
city  and  the  most  charming  landscape,  with  the  bay  in  the  dis- 
tance, can  be  seen,  giving  an  immense  view  even  to  the  naked 
eye,  and  still  more  extended  when  aided  by  a  glass ;  and  for 
beauty  and  grandeur,  being  such  as  the  eyes  are  seldom  per- 
mitted to  feast  on.  The  old  palace  and  castle  of  Queen  Mary, 
the  old  church  and  house  of  John  Knox,  dating  back  some 
three  and  a  half  centuries,  and  the  same  old  pulpit  from  which 
he  thundered  forth  his  anathemas  denunciatory  of  Roman  Ca- 
tholicism, and  which  not  only  transformed,  but  reformed,  all 
Scotland  to  the  orthodox  Calvinistic  Protestant  religion,  but  at 
the  same  time  shook  up  all  Europe  as  it  was  never  shaken  be- 
fore. The  great  medical  universities,  the  old  cemeteries,  etc., 
and  other  places  of  special  interest,  such  as  I  cannot  here  take 
time  to  mention,  much  less  to  describe  minutely,  afforded  me 
both  present  and  lasting  interest,  which  I  found  had  not  even 
abated  on  my  second  visit,  ten  years  afterwards.  And  although 
more  than  a  score  of  years  have  passed  since  my  first  visit  to 
those  charming,  historic  old  islands  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land, and  although  every  word  I  now  write  is  from  memory,  not 
having  even  the  trace  of  a  memorandum  to  aid  me,  yet  the 
scenes  then  visited  and  the  impressions  made  were  so  indelibly 
stamped  upon  my  memory,  that  they  will  doubtless  remain  till 


2  66          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

memory  and  mind  will  be  forever  obliterated  in  this  life.  Go- 
ing on  from  Scotland  by  rail,  I  went  through  the  Dominion  or 
rather  Princedom  of  Wales,  on  my  way  to  London.  Passing 
through  Wales,  I  visited  places  of  greater  or  less  interest,  such 
as  mining  regions,  manufacturing  towns  and  cities,  as  well  as 
others  in  England,  such  as  Sheffield,  so  famous  for  its  superior 
cutlery,  Birmingham,  the  world's  great  emporium  for  arms  and 
all  manner  of  iron  articles,  etc.  Speaking  of  Sheffield  cutlery, 
I  may  remark  that  too  often  it  is  imitated  here  by  worthless 
and  trashy  articles. 

The  hills  and  lakes  of  Wales  and  England,  as  well  as  of  Ire- 
land and  Scotland,  and  the  landscape  views  constantly  chang- 
ing, like  those  of  a  kaleidoscope,  were  all  indescribably  charm- 
ing and  beautiful.  This  was  the  month  of  July,  and  just  at  the 
right  season  to  see  everything  in  its  most  lovely  aspect.  I  also 
visited  the  great  Universities  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge.  After 
arriving  in  London,  I  spent  a  week  or  more  viewing  that 
eighth,  ninth  or  tenth  wonder  of  the  world,  with  its  teeming 
millions  (now  about  five  millions)  of  human  souls,  its  more  than 
one  thousand  streets,  lanes,  etc.,  its  countless  squares  and  pub- 
lic parks,  its  great  zoological  gardens,  in  which  are  to  be  seen 
every  kind  and  description  of  living  animal  known,  or  to  be 
found  upon  the  habitable  globe,  or  in  the  sea,  and  every  fowl 
that  floats  upon  the  water  or  wings  the  air ;  every  reptile,  from 
the  fatal  little  cocatrice  or  adder  of  the  Orient,  the  centipede, 
and  tarantula,  to  the  formidable  boa  constrictor  of  South  Amer- 
ica ;  and  in  the  feathered  world,  from  the  tiniest  little  humming 
bird  (of  which  there  are  over  six  hundred  species)  to  the  great 
ostrich  of  the  desert  plains  of  Africa,  upon  which  I  have  seen 
the  black  Nubian  seated  in  a  perfect  state  of  nudity,  riding  at 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  267 

breakneck  speed.  In  the  body  of  this  bird,  on  dissection,  have 
been  found  as  many  as  forty  eggs  at  one  time,  varying  in  size 
from  the  small  embryo  up  to  one  of  enormous  size,  the  shell  of 
which  would  require  the  use  of  a  sledge  hammer  to  break  it, 
and  measuring  nine  inches  in  length  and  six  in  diameter. 

Among  quadrupeds  we  find  specimens  from  the  tiny,  little 
red-eyed  white  mouse  to  the  huge  jumbo  elephant  of  the  In- 
dies, and  from  the  innocent  little  pink-eyed  rabbit  to  the  most 
ferocious  leopard,  or  lion,  king  of  beasts  from  the  jungles  of 
Africa.  Going  from  these  gardens  to  the  great  House  of  Com- 
mons of  Great  Britian,  and  to  the  Queen's  gorgeous  Palaces  sit- 
uated in  beautiful  grounds,  we  simply  behold  wonders.  From 
thence  we  visit  the  ancient,  historic  old  Tower  of  London,  and 
the  British  Museum.  Six  months,  a  year,  or  even  five  years, 
might  be  spent  pleasantly  and  very  profitably,  seeing,  studying, 
and  learning  even  only  a  part  of  what  is  to  be  seen  and  learnt 
there.  It  would  be  useless  for  me  to  attempt  here  to  describe  a 
tenth,  or  even  a  hundredth  or  thousandth  part  of  what  I  saw 
during  the  different  visits  I  made,  and  the  time  I  spent  in  this 
"  Cosmos  "  within  itself,  or  great  world  of  wonders. 

Enclosed  within  a  high,  thick  stone  wall,  with  its  iron  gates 
and  ponderous  bolts  and  bars,  through  which  we  enter  with  our 
guide,  we  first  behold  on  every  side  of  the  Tower,  the  Arsenal 
grounds  and  the  Arsenal,  with  a  display  of  every  firearm  or  mu- 
nition of  war  that  probably  has  ever  been  invented  or  conceived 
of,  both  ancient  and  modern,  and  we  might  also  add  ever  used 
in  any  country,  civilized  or  barbarian.  Looking  further,  we  see 
the  ever  memorable  and  cruel  "  guillotine  "  with  its  block,  and 
gleaming,  sharp,  heavy  blade,  which  dropped  with  a  thud  upon 
the  neck  of  the  defenseless  victim,  when  the  body  and  head 
dropped  separately  on  either  side  of  the  fatal  block. 


268  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF  THE   AUTHOR. 

In  another  large  room  we  see  the  figures  of  ancient  kings, 
earls,  princes,  and  knights  of  valor  and  renown,  all  bedecked 
with  heavy  steel  coats  of  mail,  and  helmets  of  the  most  artistic 
and  cunning  workmanship.  Their  lances,  their  shields,  their 
spears  and  swords,  etc.,  made  a  sublimely  grand,  not  to  say  aw- 
ful, display.  As  Scott  has  written  of  the  Knights. of  the  Border, 
ever  ready  to  respond  at  a  moment  to  War's  alarm  : 

•'They  carved  at  the  meal  with  gloves  of  steel, 
And  drank  the  red  wine  through  the  helmet  barred. " 

Passing  on  further  into  the  interior,  we  came  to  the  chamber 
of  the  crown  jewels  of  Emperors,  Ki.ngs  and  Queens.  Crowns 
and  diadems  bestudded  with  jewels  of  every  kind,  the  most  cost- 
ly, and  "of  purest  ray  serene,"  were  displayed  in  dazzling  pro- 
fusion. Then  again  we  enter  the  long,  almost  interminable  cor- 
ridors and  halls,  with  every  wall  lined  with  hundreds  of  glass 
cases,  rilled  with  thousands  of  rich  specimens  of  ore,  metals,  and 
minerals ;  also  the  great  cabinets  of  various  coins,  gold,  silver, 
brass  and  copper,  of  every  imaginable  description,  superscrip- 
tion, size  and  date,  from  those  of  most  ancient  antiquity  down 
to  the  present  time,  and  of  every  land  and  nation  under  the  sun. 

But  we  are  compelled  to  stop  just  here,  without  taking  time 
or  space  to  more  than  mention  the  great  library  of  ancient 
books,  Mss.,  etc.  ;  the  immense  gallery  of  Art,  filled  with  rare 
paintings,  statuary,  and  a  thousand  other  things  of  equally  great 
interest.  Leaving  this  great  Cosmos  or  world  within  itself,  we 
pass  out  into  the  open  air,  perhaps  to  descend  by  a  winding 
shaft,  quite  one  hundred  feet  down,  which  leads  to  the  entrance 
of  the  great  tunnel  extending  under  that  notable  river,  the 
Thames  ;  and  emerging  from  this  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  269 

river,  we  again  ascend,  then  recross  the  river  upon  one  of  those 
staunch  stone  and  iron  bridges  of  solid  structure,  such  as,  for  in- 
stance, the  far-famed  London  Bridge,  where  I  have  stood  and 
viewed  a  stream  of  carriages  of  every  kind  and  make,  extending 
for  miles  on  either  side  and  either  way ;  crossing  over,  when  in 
a  moment  every  vehicle  and  every  horse  was  brought  to  a  stand- 
still, caused  simply  by  the  locking  of  the  hubs  of  the  wheels 
of  two  carriages  passing  in  too  close  proximity  to  each  other,  or 
from  some  other  equally  trivial  cause.  But  a  few  moments  on- 
ly were  sufficient  to  disengage  them,  when  the  crack  of  a  whip 
or  two,  prefaced  and  emphasized  with  a  few  oaths  from  the 
Jehus  driving  them,  and  all  that  long  stream,  thus  suddenly 
brought  to  a  standstill,  was  again  a  moving,  living  mass  in  rapid 
motion,  to  make  up  for  the  moments  lost. 

People  in  London,  when  on  the  pavements,  or  crossing 
streets,  do  not  walk — they  simply  run — and  woe  to  the  poor  un- 
fortunate victim  who  may  chance  to  miss  a  step,  slip,  and  fall, 
for  the  chances  are  at  least  ten  to  one  that  he  or  she  will  never 
rise  again  alive,  or  at  least  without  being  bruised,  crushed,  and 
mangled  by  the  rushing  mass  of  human  beings  who  are  com- 
pelled from  actual  pressure  to  pass  over  the  fallen  victim,  or 
from  the  iron  shod  hoofs  of  heavy  horses,  and  the  wheels  of 
vehicles  as  they  rush  heedlessly  on.  Statistics  show  that  an 
average  of  one  human  life  for  every  day  in  the  year  is  sacrificed 
in  this  way,  on  the  streets  and  crossings  of  London.  But  to 
hurry  on,  and  complete  our  sight-seeing,  etc.,  in  this  great  me- 
tropolis of  the  world,  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  pass  to  other 
scenes.  We  will  descend  at  one  of  the  many  stations,  and  take 
an  Underground  Railway  train,  and  travel  awhile  without  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  much  for  the  present,  and  in  this  way 


270  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

may  spend  a  whole  day  travelling  under  the  great  Metropolis, 
shut  out  from  daylight,  and  yet  with  abundant  light  to  see  all 
that  is  to  be  seen.  And  one  need  only  learn  the  distance  to 
realize  with  what  speed  and  exactness  these  trains  run,  even  to 
the  very  second,  and  constantly  from  one  station  to  another. 
And  if  the  reader  can  imagine  being  shot  out  of  the  mouth  of 
an  immense  cannon  while  in  a  railroad  car,  and  making  speed 
accordingly,  he  can  form  some  idea  as  to  how  an  Underground 
Railway  ride  goes ;  and  it  may  be  continued  if  he  wishes,  even 
for  hundreds  of  miles,  before  coming  up  to  the  surface  of  the 
streets  and  open  day.  But  we  must  leave  London,  after  a 
visit  first  to  the  great  Sydenham  Crystal  Palace,  known  as  the 
World's  Fair,  there  to  spend  a  most  enjoyable  day  in  seeing 
more  sights  than  can  possibly  be  described,  as  there  is  here, 
indeed,  another  world  of  wonders. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          271 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Paris- and  its  Environs  Briefly  Described.  On  to  Rome,  via  Switzerland, 
Germany,  etc. 

TAKING  leave  of  London,  the  trip  to  Paris  is  made  in  less 
than  a  day,  by  rail  and  steamer,  crossing  the  British  Channel 
between  Dover  and  Calais.  These  narrow  Straits  of  Dover,  as 
they  are  called,  only  require  about  three  hours  to  cross  on  a 
steamer,  (in  fact,  the  shores  of  France  can  be  seen  from  Eng- 
land on  a  clear  day)  but  it  is  so  exceedingly  rough,  both  winter 
and  summer,  that  the  traveller  may  congratulate  himself  if  he 
escapes  a  severe  spell  of  seasickness  while  crossing.  I  speak 
from  personal  experience,  having  crossed  six  times  to  find  my- 
self deathly  sick  every  time,  and  I  was  by  no  means  the  excep- 
tion. Having  once  arrived  in  Paris  and  selected  your  hotel, 
the  next  thing  is  to  proceed  at  once  to  see  whatever  there  is  of 
interest,  and  there  is  certainly  plenty.  But  how  shall  we 
describe  it  ?  Beautiful  Paris,  where  only  man  (and  woman  too) 
is  vile  !  I  have  visited  Paris  more  than  half  a  dozen  times,  and 
even  made  it  my  residence  for  a  while,  and  yet  I  must  tell  you, 
I  know  no  great  deal  of  Paris  yet.  To  say  that  it  is  without 
doubt  the  most  charmingly  beautiful  city  I  have  ever  been  in, 
expresses  it,  so  far  as  that  goes.  But  the  stranger  to  it  is  ready 
to  ask  how,  or  in  what  way  ?  And  I  can  only  answer  :  one 
must  see  it  for  himself,  and  see  it  well,  to  be  able  to  either 
realize  what  it  is,  or  to  enjoy  it,  or  even  appreciate  it.  The 
English  language,  from  the  most  eloquent  tongue,  or  descrip- 
tive pen  moved  by  one  possessing  the  most  vivid  imagination, 
is  inadequate  to  the  undertaking. 


2^2  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE  AUTHOR. 

And  as  it  is  not  our  object  in  this  brief  autobiographical  his- 
tory to  describe  any  city  or  country  minutely,  we  are  compelled 
to  pass  this  one  by  also,  with  simply  a  passing  notice.     We  will 
first  merely  mention  its  miles  on  miles  of  broad  boulevards, 
paved  with  concrete  or  asphaltum,  as  smooth  and  level  as  a 
floor,  and  kept  swept  generally  quite  as  clean,  lined  continu- 
ously on  either  side  with  beautiful  shade  trees — horse  chestnut 
mostly.     The  pavements  are  formed  of  broad  and  smooth  slabs 
of  white  marble.     Stores,  shops,  and  bazaars,  the  most  exqui- 
site and  costly,  with  their  great  windows  filled  with  everything 
to  tempt  the  eye  of  the  passer  by  ;  costly  residences  and    gor- 
geous palaces  of  immense  size  and  height,  built  from  the  most 
delicate  and  beautiful  cream-colored  marble,  which  is  quarried 
out  from  beneath  the  city,  and  carved  in  the  most  exquisite 
style  of  decorative  and  ornamental  workmanship  before  being 
placed  upon  the  walls  of  the  building ;  the  almost  countless 
number  of  hotels,  some  of  which  are  among  the  grandest  and 
most  costly  in  the  world,  between  forty  and  fifty  large  hospitals 
with  their  multiplied  thousands  of  human  sufferers  being  con- 
stantly cared  for ;  the  most  magnificent  and  costly  churches, 
theaters,  and  opera  houses,  large,  exceedingly  high,  and  with 
exquisitely  carved  pillars ;  the  Tuilleries  Palace  and  gardens ; 
the  museum,  art  galleries  and  public  libraries ;  the  grand   tri- 
umphal arch,  or  Arc  do  Triomphe  (destroyed  during  the  siege 
by  the  Prussians  and  since  restored),  and  a  thousand  other 
things  of  more  or  less  attraction  and  interest,  such  as  the  cele- 
brated French  restaurants,  cafe's,  theatrical,  dancing,  and  sing- 
ing pavilions,  the  brilliantly  lighted  gardens,  such  as  the  Champs 
Elysees  ;  not  to  speak  of  the  tramways  leading  from  the  city, 
and  starting  every  few  minutes   to  convey  passengers  to  St. 
Cloud,  Versailles,  and  other  places,  and  the  many  hundreds  of 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  273 

double-deck  omnibuses,  carrying  twenty  four  persons  at  a  load, 
and  always  full  day  and  night,  running  in  every  direction  through 
the  city,  and  out  to  and  around  its  environs  for  almost  any  dis- 
tance, even  beyond  the  gates  and  walls.  But  we  have  spent 
more  time  than  we  intended  in  thus  mentioning  these  things, 
and  must  therefore  drop  such  pleasing  reminiscences  of  Paris 
life,  and  take  a  hasty  departure  from  this  delightful  city,  with 
its  many  fascinating  charms,  for  other  more  remote  scenes  on 
the  continent  and  elsewhere. 

From  Paris  we  take  the  train  for  the  City  of  Lyons,  so  fa- 
mous for  its  silks  and  other  manufactures,  and  from  thence  to 
Geneva  in  Switzerland.  Here  we  stop  long  enough  to  rest  a 
little,  view  the  lakes  and  charming  mountain  scenery,  and 
many  other  things  of  more  or  less  interest ;  also  step  into  some 
of  the  jewelry  shops  and  manufactories  of  those  beautiful  and 
excellent  little  time-keepers  known  as  Geneva  watches.  The 
degree  of  perfection  to  which  the  fine  art  of  watch-making  has 
been  brought  is  a  thing  almost  incredible  and  to  be  wondered 
at.  Such  is  the  delicate  and  fine  workmanship  of  some  of 
these  watches,  that  a  good  time-keeper  has  been  manufactured 
not  larger  than  the  thumb-nail.  Their  little  music  boxes  also 
excel  in  sweetness  of  tone  and  variety  of  music. 

From  here  we  direct  our  course  into  Germany,  visit  the  fa- 
mous watering  places  and  boiling  springs  of  Baden-Baden  and 
Weisbaden,  the  renowned  old  city  of  Heidelberg,  traverse 
Prussia,  visit  old  Cologne,  famous  for  its  single,  double,  and 
triple  extracts  of  perfumery,  or  Eau  de  Cologne,  and,  oddly 
enough,  is  also  famous  for  its  dirt,  as  having,  according  to 
Coleridge,  "  Seventy  separate  and  well  defined  stinks,"  making 
the  following  lines  apposite  enough  : 

12* 


274  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

"  The  river  Rhine,  it  well  is  known, 
Doth  wash  the  city  of  Cologne  ; 
But  tell  me,  Nymphs,  what  power  divine 
Shall  henceforth  wash  the  river  Rhine  ?  " 

I  cannot  say  that  I  detected  so  many,  however,  for  the  place 
smelled  much  the  same  all  over  it,  I  thought,  and  that  was 
bad  enough,  for  it  was  notoriously  dirty,  and  stinking,  too. 
But  a  sight  of  the  grand  old  cathedral  partly  compensated  for 
the  filth  in  the  streets.  This  imposing  and  stately  pile  is  now 
said  to  be  completed,  after  more  than  six  hundred  years  in 
building. 

We  also  made  a  hurried  visit  through  Bohemia,  Hungary, 
Holland,  Belgium  and  Austria.  And  now  over  to  Italy,  and 
its  provinces — Piedmont,  Venetia,  Lombardy,  Tuscany,  Naples 
and  Rome.  Nor  would  we  forget  to  mention  our  visit  to  that 
charming  city,  Marseilles,  in  the  south  of  France,  on  the  Mod 
iterranean  coast,  with  one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  world ; 
also  Leghorn  and  Genoa,  the  latter  so  suggestive  of  beautiful 
coral  jewelry,  as  well  as  Mosaic  and  Byzantine  work,  and  the 
real  cameo  ;  and  to  carefully  note  the  exceedingly  delicate,  skill- 
ful, and  tedious  manner  of  carving,  shaping,  grinding  and  setting 
of  these  different  works  of  art  is  a  matter  of  special  interest  to 
any  one  of  an  inquiring  mind.  Nor  would  we  lose  sight  of 
that  renowned  old  city  of  Strasburg,  and  that  most  wonderful 
of  all  clocks  that  has  ever  been  constructed  in  any  age,  which 
we  cannot  describe  minutely,  but  note  that  after  long  years  of 
most  patient  and  enduring  labor  and  skill,  on  its  completion 
the  poor  unfortunate  artisan  was  rewarded  by  having  both  eyes 
put  out  by  the  rapacious,  selfish,  and  cruel  wretches  who  em- 
ployed him,  so  as  to  disable  him  from  ever  making  another  like 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  275 

it.  Nor  should  we  forget  to  notice  the  world-renowned  lean- 
ing tower  of  Pisa,  and  the  historic  pendulum  still  put  in  motion 
there,  which  was  invented  by  Galileo,  aud  by  means  of  which 
he  discovered  and  demonstrated  the  fact  that  this  globe  is 
round  instead  of  flat,  and  that  "  it  does  move"  Also  the  fine 
and  rich  art  galleries  at  Forence,  filled  with  works  both  in 
painting  and  sculpture  by  the  master  artists  of  both  ancient  and 
modern  times,  and  showing  the  highest  degree  of  skill  and 
workmanship.  We  would  also  mention  in  our  ramblings  the 
old  city  of  Bologna,  noted  also  for  its  leaning  towers,  of  which 
there  are  two ;  but  perhaps  more  noted  for  its  appetizing 
and  choice  Bologna  sausage — and  the  great  scarcity  of  its  ca- 
nine inhabitants,  as  I  saw  but  two  in  the  whole  city,  one  of  which 
was  very  small,  the  other  of  good  size;  and  also  saw  sausages  as 
large  round  as  a  large  breakfast  plate,  but  do  not  know  how  long, 
as  they  had  been  cut  transversely  across,  showing  but  half  at  a 
time.  (The  reader  can  determine  for  himself  \.\\Q  possible  con- 
nection between  the  above  facts  ! ) 

Beautiful  Venice  !  "  The  City  of  Waters,"  also  comes  in  for 
a  passing  notice,  before  returning  to  Rome  to  stay  awhile. 
We  regret  the  lack  of  space  to  describe  fully  this  most  remark- 
able, and  on  many  accounts  most  interesting,  city  in  the  world, 
which  was  built  up  out  of  the  Adriatic  Sea,  and  has  stood  for 
so  many  centuries  with  its  great  marble  palaces,  churches,  and 
other  buildings,  out  in  the  ocean.  The  streets,  if  such  they 
may  be  called,  are  simply  canals  or  channels  of  salt  water,  just* 
as  they  were  left  when  the  foundations  of  the  squares  and  build- 
ings were  laid,  first  by  driving  down  countless  thousands — -per- 
haps millions — of  piles,  made  from  the  full  length  of  the  trunks 
of  trees.  These  were  driven  down  close  together  by  powerful 


276          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

machinery,  such  as  heavy  trip  hammers,  stroke  after  stroke,  till 
sunken  their  full  length  into  the  lagoons  and  marshy  earth  and 
sand,  so  as  to  form  a  solid  and  level  foundation  for  the  great 
stones  and  marble  to  be  piled  upon  them  in  erecting  those  tall 
and  massive  buildings,  five  and  six  stories  high.  Upon  these 
piles  the  structure  or  base  of  those  buildings  was  laid  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean,  at  whatever  depth  it  may  have  been,  and 
thus  they  were  reared  upon  such  solid  foundations  as  not  only 
to  have  withstood  the  tooth  of  time  wearing  upon  them,  but 
also  to  defy  the  shock  of  earthquakes  or  other  convulsions  of 
nature.  The  streets,  as  we  have  said,  are  water,  and  constant- 
ly plied  both  day  and  night  by  the  little,  narrow  gondolas,  into 
which  you  can  step  from  the  threshold  of  the  door  of  your  res- 
idence, and  when  alighting  from  them,  step  directly  in.  These 
little,  narrow,  black  racers  (for  they  are  all  painted  black  by 
regulation  of  law),  move  swiftly  and  noiselessly,  and  furnish  a 
by  no  means  unpleasant  way  of  getting  from  place  to  place, 
though  of  course  more  expensive  than  walking ;  but  in  Venice 
"  walking  is  not  good,"  generally.  The  palace  of  the  immortal 
bard  (Byron)  which  he  occupied  when  at  Venice,  is  still  point- 
ed out  to  the  stranger,  as  he  glides  along  the  broad  thorough- 
fare in  his  gondola,  the  gondolier  of  course  taking  great  pleas- 
ure in  pointing  out  every  thing  of  interest  in  passing.  The 
memorable  "  Bridge  of  Sighs  "  also  stands  just  as  it  did  many 
hundreds  of  years  ago,  recalling  Byron's  well-known  lines  : 

"  I  stood  in  Venice,  on  the  Bridge  of  Sighs, 
A  palace  and  a  prison  on  each  hand.'' 

We  also  mark  the  ever  memorable  courts,  halls,  prisons, 
dungeons,  and  places  of  inquisition,  and  all  the  dreadful  imple- 
ments of  torture  which  were  applied  by  the  most  cruel  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  277 

relentless  hands  to  the  unfortunate  victims.  Thus  doomed  to 
suffer,  however  innocently,  often  even  unto  death,  at  the  sen- 
tence of  those  fiendish  old  Doges  who  held  despotic  rule,  until 
some  eighty  of  their  number  had  come  into  power  successively 
one  after  another,  and  so  passed  away  during  a  period  of  long 
centuries.  Venice  is  the  most  quiet,  the  "  stillest "  or  most 
silent  city  I  have  ever  been  in  ;  undisturbed  silence  may  be  said 
eternally  to  reign  there.  Not  a  horse,  a  cow,  or  indeed  any 
other  animal  not  even  a  dog,  unless  a  little  house  pet,  is  ever  to 
be  seen ;  not  a  vehicle  of  any  kind  on  the  streets,  except  the 
little  noiseless  gondola,  stealthily  gliding  through  the  still  waters ; 
and  again  may  we  quote  : 

"  Through  the  dark  city  the  gondolas  crawl, 
Sable,  and  doleful,  and  coffin-like  all." 

Seldom  indeed,  is  a  voice  heard,  even  from  youths,  above  a 
low  or  modulated  tone,  never  a  loud  laugh.  Every  living  being, 
indeed,  seems  pervaded  by  the  spirit  of  quiet  reigning  around. 
And  yet  the  people  seem  happy,  and  contented  to  dwell  on  thus 
from  generation  to  generation.  But  we  must  now  leave  Ven- 
ice and  return  to  old  Rome  again.  And  we  will  endeavor  to 
describe  as  briefly  as  possible,  some  things  of  interest,  at  least 
to  the  general  reader,  who  has  never  been  there  to  see  and  learn 
for  himself.  This  however,  we  can  only  do  in  part  at  this  time, 
and  in  the  next  chapter,  but  will  endeavor  to  do  so  more  fully 
in  a  succeeding  chapter  before  closing  these  reminiscences  of 
travel,  personal  experiences,  etc.;  and  our  reason  for  reserving 
this  for  the  closing  chapter  perhaps,  is,  that  in  later  years  we  re- 
visited the  Eternal  City  and  made  it  our  home  permanently  for 
a  while,  how  pleasantly  or  unpleasantly,  remains  yet  to  be  told 
in  detail. 


278          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Scenes  in  Rome. 

MY  first  visit  to  "  The  Eternal  City,"  as  it  is  often  called, 
will  be  forever  remembered,  as  well  as  my  last  visit  and  de- 
parture from  it.  On  my  first  arrival,  as  you  have  already 
learned,  I  had  just  completed  a  long,  tiresome,  and  tedious 
journey,  during  all  which  time,  and  long  before,  my  health  had 
been  miserable ;  and  yet  I  had  continued  to  travel  over  much 
of  Europe  and  the  Continent,  often  laboriously  endeavoring  to 
see  and  learn  in  this  way,  and  by  travel  to  gather  such  infor- 
mation from  my  own  personal  observation,  as  could  not  be 
gained  otherwise.  And  as  even  travellers  in  good  health  often 
find  such  journeys  and  tours  tiresome,  and  indeed  exceedingly 
fatiguing,  I  of  course  found  it  much  more  so  in  my  then  state 
of  health  ;  but  so  great  was  my  fondness  for  travel,  and  the  ex- 
citement and  diversion  of  mind  necessarily  incident  to  such  a 
tour  for  the  first  time,  that  I  often  lost  sight  of  self  and  suffer- 
ing for  the  time  being,  becoming  so  completely  absorbed  in  the 
work  before  me  as  to  forget  everything  else,  and  so  would  often 
continue  till  I  would  find  myself  completely  prostrate  and  ex- 
hausted from  actual  fatigue ;  and  such  indeed  was  now  my 
condition  on  arriving  at  Rome.  It  was  also  in  the  hottest  and 
most  sickly  season  of  the  year,  and  I  found  the  City  apparently 
in  full  accord  with  my  own  condition,  viz,  very  sickly  looking, 
dilapidated  and  dirty.  A  long,  dry,  hot,  dull,  dusty  summer 
was  now  just  closing,  and  to  make  matters  yet  more  disagree- 
able, heavy,  warm  rains  began  to  fall  just  after  my  arrival,  which 
made  the  poisonous  atmosphere  rank  with  unhealthy  vapor. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  279 

However,  I  was  in  Rome;  I  had  gone  there  of  my  own 
choice,  not  having  been  invited  to  do  so  by  any  one,  and  it 
now  remained  for  me  to  "  do  just  as  Rome  did,"  and  that 
seemed  to  be  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation  I  possibly  could  ; 
and  when  I  wished  to  stay  no  longer,  then  do  a  little  differently 
from  what  Rome  does,  /.  e.,  get  away  from  the  place.  And 
having  r-o  determined,  the  next  thing  was  to  secure  rooms  at 
the  best  hotel  I  could  find,  rest  a  while,  then  hire  a  dragoman 
(guide),  a  cab  with  its  driver,  and  then  start  out  to  see  what  I 
could.  And  I  might  add  here,  that  about  the  same  thing  has 
been  done  in  this  or  a  similar  way  for  thousands  of  years  be- 
fore, and  up  to  the  time  I  did  this,  and  has  even  so  continued 
to  be  done  by  the  multiplied  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  even 
millions,  who  have  visited  Rome  since  the  days  when  a  flock 
of  wild  geese  flew  over  the  place  in  a  certain  direction,  which 
decided  the  question  at  once  that  Rome  should  be  Rome. 

My  first  days,  efforts  at  sight-seeing  were  crowned  with  great 
success,  and,  returning  to  my  hotel  in  the  evening  pretty  well 
tired  out,  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  or  learned  so  much  in  a 
single  day  in  all  my  travels.  The  second  day  passed  in  a  sim- 
ilar manner,  and  I  returned  at  night  again  in  the  same  condi- 
tion and  with  the  same  impressions  ;  also  with  the  third,  and 
so  on,  \ill  I  became  surfeited  with  feasting  on  wonders,  many 
of  whi«,h,  indeed,  will  not  be  here  described,  I  am  very  sure, 
for  it  h  my  wish  to  save  the  readers,  and  myself,  also,  all  the 
needless  infliction  I  possibly  can  under  existing  circumstances. 
However,  this  autobiographical  history  of  reminiscences,  etc., 
would  not  be  quite  complete  were  I  to  omit  everything,  and  so 
will  endeavor  to  mention  at  least  a  few  of  the  thousands  of 
things  to  be  seen  and  learned  in  Rome.  To  attempt  a  history 


280  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

of  this,  the  Queen  of  the  Universe,  in  however  succinct  or  con- 
densed a  form  it  might  b.?  written,  would  require  a  whole  vol- 
ume of  more  than  a  thousand  pages.  The  reader,  therefore, 
must  be  content  with  the  brief  sketch  we  shall  thus  give  in  this, 
which  is  almost  the  closing  chapter  of  this  volume. 

Rome,  the  metropolis  of  the  Catholic  religion,  is  situated  on 
both  banks  of  the  Tiber,  20  miles  from  its  mouth,  where  it 
empties  into  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  surrounded  mostly  by  a 
level,  fertile  plain,  known  as  the  Campagna,  which  was  once 
undrained  lagoons  and  marshes,  generating  the  most  deadly 
miasma  from  decomposed,  rank  vegetation,  which  produced 
what  is  to  this  day  known  as  "Febris  pernidana  Romana" 
(pernicious  fever  of  Rome).  The  city  is  situated  in  latitude 
41  deg.,  53  min.,  4  sec.  North,  and  10  deg.,  32  min.  longitude 
East,  and  may  be  justly  ranked  as  the  most  illustrious  < 
the  world — the  historical  and  political  capital  of  Italy.  Its  ori- 
gin dates  back  more  than  2000  years.  And  if  its  complete 
history,  from  its  foundation  to  the  present  day,  had  been  fully 
written,  the  volumes  would  be  alone  sufficient  to  compose  a 
large  library. 

Perhaps  about  the  first  thing  that  will  attract  the  tourist  on 
starting  out  to  view  the  city,  is  the  generally  very  narrow,  dirty 
streets,  crooked,  and  with  suddenly  abrupt  angles,  and  usually 
paved  with  round,  rough  boulders.  On  either  side  loom  up 
unsightly  piles  of  ancient  masonry,  composed  of  very  thick  walls 
of  large,  thin  bricks  and  Roman  cement,  devoid  of  all  archi- 
tectural design,  beauty,  or  comfort;  and  there  are  no  sidewalks. 

Second,  the  almost  innumerable  public  squares  or  plazaG, 
as  they  are  called,  which  are  simply  level,  open  courts,  in  -which 
is  usually  to  be  seen  an  obelisk,  or  large,  tall  pillars  of  stone, 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR.  281 

with  hieroglyphics  inscribed  upon  them,  more  or  less  statuary, 
of  various  designs  and  representing  different  persons  and  differ- 
ent ages,  a  fountain  or  two,  supplied  by  aqueducts  which  con- 
vey fresh  water  from  the  Alpine  hills  or  other  places,  in  some 
instances  as  far  as  forty  miles.  There  were  at  one  time  about 
forty  of  these  living  fountains  supplying  Rome  copiously  with 
fresh,  cool  water  ;  but  there  are  not  so  many  now.  In  these 
public  courts,  also,  as  well  as  at  almost  every  street  corner,  and 
on  the  roadsides  leading  to  and  from  the  city,  are  to  be  seen 
images  of  idolatrous  worship,  such  as  the  Virgin  Mary  with 
the  infant  Savior,  the  Christ  upon  the  cross,  etc. 

The  next  thing,  perhaps,  of  special  interest  to  be  noticed, 
are  the  different  triumphal  arches,  erected  to  commemorate  the 
atrocious  wars  and  bloody  deeds  of  conquest  often  waged  against 
unoffending  nations,  even  to  their  utter  destruction  and  devas- 
tation by  fire,  sword,  and  rapine,  and  captives  were  brought  to 
Rome  in  chains  for  the  purpose  of  being  cast  into  the  amphi- 
theatres to  be  devoured  by  ferocious,  hungry,  wild  beasts,  or, 
perhaps,  many  of  them,  females  especially,  reserved  for  even 
worse  purposes. 

Notably  among  these  still  stands  the  arch  of  Constantine, 
the  Christian  emperor,  so  called ;  and  though  it  has  stood  for 
many  centuries  and  even  ages  past,  it  is  still  in  a  good  state  of 
preservation.  We  also  note  the  arches  of  Dolabella  and  Sila- 
nus,  arch  of  Drusis,  arch  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  etc.  Having 
made  archaeology  a  study  part  of  my  time  in  later  years  while 
living  in  Rome,  the  history  of  these  various  arches,  as  well  as 
their  designs  and  numerous  and  varied  descriptions,  also  the 
ancient  Amphitheatre  or  Coliseum  of  Rome,  as  well  as  the 
ruins  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum,  near  the  base  of  Mount 


282  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR. 

Vesuvius,  afford  me  great  interest  and  pleasure,  and  regret  a 
lack  of  space  here  to  describe  any  of  them  fully.  The  Amphi- 
theatre of  Flavius,  commonly  called  the  Coliseum,  is  a  monu- 
ment also  of  the  greatness  of  Rome  in  her  palmier  days  of  sin 
and  desperate  wickedness ;  but  as  it  now  stands  in  its  majestic 
ruins,  still  throws  a  lustre  on  the  modern  city,  forcibly  remind- 
ing the  beholder  of  Rome's  former  greatness  and  glory.  That 
the  reader  may  form  some  idea  of  the  immensity  of  these  gi- 
gantic ruins,  we  quote  the  record,  which  states  that  it 
capable  of  seating  some  eighty  thousand  persons  in  its  galle- 
ries, be  ginning  at  a  height  of  some  fifteen  feet,  perhaps,  from 
the  ground,  and  ascending  upward  in  circular  rows  to  the  great 
height  of  perhaps  a  hundred  feet. 

The  churches  and  cathedrals  shall  next  receive  our  brief  no- 
tice, and  among  them  St.  Peter's  stands  prefiminent,  in  the 
northwest  corner  of  Rome,  on  a  slight  acclivity,  with  a  large, 
beautifully  paved  piazza  fronting,  bestudded  and  decorated  with 
huge  columns  on  every  side,  as  well  as  historic  marble  statuary, 
and  large  pillars  and  obelisks  of  great  size,  height  and  beauty. 
The  Temple  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  the  nave  being  over 
600  feet  in  length,  and  the  transept  near  450  feet.  The  east 
front  extends  for  quite  400  feet,  and  is  160  feet  in  height ; 
whilst  the  numerous  pillars  supporting  it  are  88  feet  high,  and 
8^  feet  in  diameter  ;  height  of  dome,  450  feet.  It  contains 
46  altars  and  400  statues,  with  twelve  large  pillars  brought  from 
the  ruins  of  King  Solomon's  temple.  This  church  required 
some  350  years  to  complete  it,  at  a  cost  of  $50,000,000.  It 
covers  an  area  of  eight  acres  of  ground.  St.  Peter's  statue  in 
bronze  is  the  prominent  figure  of  worship,  and  center  of  attrac- 
tion in  this  temple  of  idolatrous  worship,  though  the  bronze 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE  AUTHOR.  283 

statue  representing  St.  Peter  is  said  to  be  in  fact  that  of  the 
bloody  tyrant  Nero.  How  true  this  may  be  I  know  not,  and 
only  give  it  as  "'twas  told  to  me"  rather  confidentially  by  some  of 
the  shrewd  Romans,  who  ought  to  know.  This  I  do  know,  howev- 
er, that  I  have  taken  a  stand  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  huge  pillars 
that  adorn  that  temple,  and  with  watch  in  hand  counted  till 
just  one  hundred  devotees  came  along  in  single  file,  stooped, 
with  bended  knees,  and  devoutly  kissed  St.  Peter's  great  toe, 
when  just  five  minutes  had  passed,  making  an  average  of  twen- 
ty to  the  minute.  Nor  was  the  Temple  much  thronged  that  day, 
nor  did  it  seem  to  be  an  unusual  day  for  toe-kissing,  either.  I 
need  hardly  add,  that  great  bronze  toe  had  been  so  nearly  kissed 
away  in  ages  past  that  but  little  of  it  yet  remained.  I  was  also 
told  that  it  had  to  be  remoulded  on  and  remodelled  occasion- 
ally, on  account  of  the  multiplied  millions  of  times  it  has  been 
kissed  and  thus  worn  away.  San  Giovanni  Laterano,  the  old- 
est church  in  Rome,  is  the  Pope's  Metropolitan  Church,  he  be- 
ing its  only  official  minister ;  and  in  this  temple  the  Popes  are 
crowned  and  thus  made  infallible  (?).  But  by  far  the  grand- 
est and  most  imposing  of  all,  according  to  my  ideas  and  taste, 
especially  as  regards  the  interior,  is  St.  Paul's  Temple,  outside 
the  walls  of  the  city.  The  Vatican,  or  seat  of  the  Pope,  dates 
from  the  eighth  century.  It  stands  over  the  Vatican  hill,  ad- 
joining. It  covers  an  area  of  1150  feet  by  770,  and  contains 
only  4,442  gorgeously  gilded  chambers,  furnished  in  the  most 
costly  ma'nner,  many  of  the  walls  being  lined  with  the  finest  oil 
paintings,  frescoing,  etc.,  by  master  artists,  eight  grand  stair- 
ways, two  hundred  not  so  grand,  but  fine  enough,  and  twenty 
large  courts  or  audience  chambers,  together  with  grand  muse- 
ums and  libraries,  all  filled  with  the  rarest  and  most  costly  col- 


284  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR. 

lections  the  world  has  ever  afforded.  And  with  all  these  things 
combined,  and  the  acres  of  beautiful  garden,  with  everything  in 
animate  that  Nature  can  provide  to  decorate,  and  adorn,  and 
make  charming,  it  would  seem  that  such  a  place  ought  to  be 
large  enough  for  one  single  man,  at  least,  and  not  such  an  un- 
comfortable or  poor  sort  of  prison,  after  all. 

The  Catacombs,  with  their  immense  subterannean  passages, 
and  multiplied  hundreds  of  thousands  of  charnel  houses  beneath 
the  ground,  extending  for  miles  and  miles  in  their  serpentine 
course,  we  lack  time  to  further  describe;  nor  can  we  more  than 
simply  refer  to  the  many  beautiful  parks  and  gardens  both  out- 
side the  walls  of  the  City  as  well  as  inside ;  notably  among 
which  is  the  Pincian  Garden,  on  the  Pincian  Hill,  which  abounds 
with  beautiful  drives,  pavilions,  shade  trees,  rare  shrubbery,  and 
choice  flowers  of  every  variety,  hundreds  of  marble  statues  chis- 
eled by  renowned  sculptors,  pools  and  fountains,  etc.  Here  is 
to  be  seen  a  Clepsydra  or  water  clock,  perpetually  in  motion 
without  the  aid  of  weights  or  requiring  to  be  wound  up.  There 
are  370  churches  in  Rome,  many  of  which  have  a  chime  of 
bells,  and  on  stated  occasions  it  is  no  unusual  thing  to  hear 
every  bell  ringing  at  the  same  moment,  and  making  sweet  har- 
monious music,  such  as  the  Roman  church  bells  alone  can  pro- 
duce. The  feast  days,  or  days  of  festivals,  of  which  there  are 
nearly  fifty  every  year  held  in  observance  of  some  noted  event, 
sacred  or  profane,  legendary  or  historic,  among  which  the  ever 
memorable  "  Mardi-gras,"  or  high  carnival,  as  it  is  called  in 
Rome ;  are  not  days  and  scenes  to  be  forgotten  by  those  who 
have  passed  through  them  even  once,  not  to  speak  of  every  year 
during  a  life-time.  The  last  mentioned  usually  lasts  about  two 
weeks  during  which  all  general  business  is  suspended  throughout 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  285 

the  city,  by  courts,  officials, &c.,  of  every  kind;  merchants,  trades- 
men and  nearly  all  classes  giving  themselves  up  to  social  enjoy- 
ment, and  conviviality  in  a  general  way. 

During  these  social  holidays  the  city  is  densely  thronged  by 
strangers  and  visitors  from  abroad.  I  have  seen,  I  think  I 
might  safely  say,  more  than  200,000  people  at  once,  who  had 
taken  positions  on  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the  city,  to  not 
only  look  on,  but  join  with  the  greatest  delight  in  the  festivities, 
as  well  as  witness  the  most  grotesque  and  ludicrous  masque- 
rade performances  that  could  possibly  be  conceived  of,  and  the 
imagination  could  devise  for  their  own  and  others'  amusement, 
during  all  of  which  time  every  one  seemed  to  be  in  the  very 
best  humor  possible,  taking  everything  in  good  part,  no  matter 
how  roughly  handled  sometimes,  or  how  much  their  fine  clothes 
might  have  to  suffer  from  a  preparation  of  lime  made  into  small 
pellets  about  the  size  of  a  large  pea,  and  hurled  at  them,  and 
into  their  faces,  in  endless  quantities.  Nor  would  there  in  all 
probability  be  seen  a  drunken  man  on  the  streets  during  the 
whole  time  these  festivals  last. 

There  is  much  in  Rome  to  attract  as  well  as  repel.  Society 
is  almost  anything  but  what  it  should  be,  and  generally  low,  de- 
grading, and  demoralizing  in  its  tendencies.  The  young  people 
are  mostly  ignorant,  illiterate,  stupid,  and  depraved  in  morals. 
Mothers  usually  keep  a  close  watch  over  their  daughters,  always 
accompanying  them  wherever  they  go,  feeling  a  necessity  for 
this ;  while  the  young  men  are  generally  suffered  to  act  accord- 
ing to  the  bent  of  their  own  minds,  and  indulge  in  all  man- 
ner of  vice  and  shame.  And  so  far  from  respecting,  or  prac- 
ticing the  Catholic  religion  of  their  priest-ridden  parents,  they 
scoff  at  it,  and  are  strongly  inclined  to  infidelity  and  agnosti- 


286  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

cism.  But  I  can  here  no  longer  dwell  upon  Rome,  or  its  scenes 
or  doings,  as  the  space  I  have  allotted  to  this  cursory  notice  has 
become  exhausted;  though  a  thousand  things  rush  to  my  mind 
while  penning  these  brief  lines,  which  would  no  doubt  be  of 
more  or  less  interest  to  the  general  reader,  if  time  and  space 
would  allow.  And  now  having  completed  my  first  visit  to  Rome, 
as  well  as  first  tour  of  Europe  and  the  Continent  generally,  I 
bid  old  Rome  and  the  sunny  clime  of  Italy  adieu,  little  thinking 
or  even  dreaming,  that  at  some  future  day  I  would  return  there 
again  to  make  old  Rome  my  residence,  the  particulars  of  which 
I  will  soon  relate  in  these  closing  chapters. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  287 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Homeward  Bound,  after  visiting  Naples,  Mount  Vesuvius,  Herculaneum, 
and  Pompeii. 

FROM  Rome  I  made  a  visit  to  Naples  by  rail,  and  after  care- 
fully inspecting  this,  which  is  in  some  respects  one  of  the  most 
remarkable,  unique,  quaint  old  cities,  and  can  scarcely  be  com- 
pared with  any  other  ;  and  visiting  places  of  great  interest,  both 
in  the  city  and  its  environs,  among  which  was  King  Victor  Em- 
anuel's  palace  and  grounds,  the  great  museum,  which  of  it- 
self would  well  repay  a  journey  of  a  thousand  miles  to  see  it 
alone,  with  all  its  wonders  of  antiquity  which  have  been  col- 
lecting and  accumulating  for  long  ages  in  the  past,  and  among 
which  are  to  be  seen  the  thousand  of  different  things  still  in-  al- 
most, or  in  some  instances  quite,  a  perfect  state  of  preservation, 
having  been  taken  from  the  ruins  of  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum 
after  having  lain  buried  beneath  those  piles  deep  down  in  their 
ruins  for  quite  2000  years ;  the  great  cathedrals,  opera-houses, 
theaters  the  most  grand  and  costly,  the  art  galleries  of  paint- 
ing, sculpture,  etc.,  which  I  have  not  time  here  to  describe. 

The  streets  of  Naples  are  exceedingly  narrow  and  roughly 
paved,  filled  with  lazzaroni  (beggars)  in  all  their  filth,  naked,  or 
half  clad  in  rags  and  wretchedness,  and  covered  with  vermin. 
The  streets  are  also  constantly  reeking  with  decomposed  ani- 
mal and  vegetable  matter,  exhaling  as  indescribable  a  compound 
of  villainous  odors  as  ever  saluted  the  nostrils  of  man.  The 
houses  are  noted  for  their  exceeding  great  height,  built  of  stone, 
brick,  concrete,  etc.,  and  invariably  flat  roofed,  upon  which 


288  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

roofs  the  better  class  of  inhabitants  spend  most  of  their  time 
and  invariably  live  during  the  long,  hot  summer  months. 

From  Naples  I  took  a  drive  over  to  Mount  Vesuvius,  whose 
base  is  some  fifteen  miles  distant  from  the  city.  Then  I  mount- 
ed a  horse,  and  after  riding  some  seven  miles  up  the  side  of  the 
mountain  through  and  over  deep  beds  of  scoria  and  solid  lava, 
which  once  flowed  from  its  crater  in  bright  rivers  of  molten  or 
liquid  fire,  until,  as  history  and  tradition  inform  us  at  the  time, 
Herculaneum  and  many  other  cities  and  towns  were  buried  be- 
neath this  mass  of  molten  matter.  It  flowed  in  great  rivers  or 
streams  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles  into  the  Mediterranean, 
filling  it  for  a  distance  of  many  miles  and  causing  it  to  boil  like 
a  seething  caldron.  After  going  as  far  as  it  was  possible  to 
ride  on  horseback,  I  dismounted,  and  on  account  of  being  too 
feeble  to  climb,  was  carried  up  by  about  six  of  the  natives  in  a 
huge  old  rickety  arm  chair  provided  for  that  purpose,  two  of 
those  stout,  brawny,  brigandish  looking  fellows  on  either  side, 
with  the  chair  (and  myself  in  it)  upon  their  broad  shoulders, 
and  two  more  at  the  back  to  push  and  help  on  ;  and  in  this 
way  we  ascended  the  steep  cone  a  distance  of  some  two  miles, 
seemingly  almost  perpendicular,  before  reaching  the  summit, 
which  was  at  last  done  after  much  toil  and  sweat,  as  the  day 
was  scorching  hot ;  and  as  these  poor  fellows  sunk  into  the  sco- 
ria, almost  hot ;  often  up  to  the  knees,  the  task  was  not  a  light 
one ;  tnough  I  had  the  easiest  part  of  it,  except  in  the  matter 
of  lightening  my  pocket  some,  and  the  almost  constant  dread  of 
being  hurled  from  my  high  perch  heels  over  head  backward  to 
the  base  of  the  cone,  all  the  way  along  as  we  went. 

Albeit,  I  felt  well  repaid  after  reaching  the  summit,  however 
dangerous  the  ascent  might  seem  to  be — and  then  to  gaze  into 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  289 

that  deep,  dark,  yawning  abyss  below,  filled  with  fire,  sulphur- 
ous vapor  and  molten  seething  matter  !  The  scene  was  indeed 
awe  inspiring,  and  not  soon  to  be  forgotten.  I  had,  of  course, 
no  way  of  measuring  the  depth  of  the  crater,  or  its  magnitude 
in  area ;  and  although  I  could  not  see  to  the  bottom,  the  outer 
border  looked  as  though  it  might  be  quite  a  mile  in  circumfer- 
ence. With  my  cane  I  raked  out  from  near  the  surface  a  few 
chunks  of  lava,  some  of  which  appeared  almost  like  pure  brim- 
stone ;  and  while  waiting  for  them  to  cool  sufficiently  to  carry 
them  away,  I  stood  and  enjoyed  the  charming  landscape  in  all 
its  grand  scenic  beauty  in  the  distance  around  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  aided  by  a  field -glass.  On  the  one  hand,  and  im- 
mediately over  and  beyond  the  ruins  of  Pompeii,  lay  the  beau- 
tiful blue  waters  of  the  grand  old  Mediterranean,  known  in  Bi- 
ble history  as  "  the  great  sea." 

Turning  a  little  to  the  right,  we  see  the  great  City  of  Naples, 
with  its  population  of  over  half  a  million,  and  its  magnificent 
bay  ;  whilst  between  this  charming  view  and  Mount  Vesuvius 
lies  deep  down  beneath  the  beds  of  solid  lava  the  ancient  city 
of  Herculaneum,  a  silent  city  of  the  dead,  and  record  of  the 
awful  doom  which  fell  upon  it  so  many  centuries  ago.  Over 
the  Mediterranean  waters  in  the  distance,  we  see  beautiful  little 
islands,  among  them  the  island  of  Caprera,  then  the  home  of 
that  grand  old  hero  Garibaldi,  and  others  we  might  mention, 
with  their  charming  grottoes  and  shades  of  pleasant  retreat. 
We  also  took  in  the  direction  of  old  Rome,  which  lies  however 
beyond  our  view  from  this  summit.  The  scenery  all  round  pre- 
sents indescribable  charms,  such  as  Nature  alone  can  yield  ; 
whilst  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  lie  buried  some  thirty  towns 
and  villages,  all  once  inhabited  by  living  man,  but  now  silent 
cities  of  the  dead,  without  even  a  monument  to  mark  the  spot 


2QO          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

where  many  of  them  once  stood.  Truly  indeed,  "  truth  is 
stranger  than  fiction."  But  we  must  at  once  descend  from  this 
lofty  summit,  and  gathering  up  our  now  cooled  lava  lumps, 
rolling  them  in  a  piece  of  paper  have  them  carried  down,  whiLt 
I  cfioose  to  walk,  or,  rather  drop  down,  in  the  following  man- 
ner :  Discharging  all  my  escorts  except  two,  I  take  a  position 
between  them,  place  an  arm  on  one  of  their  shoulders  as  they 
stand  on  either  side,  and  in  this  way  partly  bear  up  my  weight 
upon  them,  whilst  we  speed  down  that  mountain  cone  at  a 
breakneck  pace  such  as  would  defy  a  wild  mountain  goat  to 
compete  with,  sinking  into  the  scoria  quite  knee  deep  at  every 
jump.  This  did  not  take  long,  but  was  "  fun  for  the  Boys," 
while  it  lasted.  From  there  I  rode  to  Herculaneum,  and  after 
descending  a  deep  shaft  that  had  been  excavated  through  the 
solid  lava  as  hard  as  iron  and  flint  combined,  to  a  great  depth, 
we  at  last  reach  subterranean  passages  also  excavated,  and 
which  were  once  streets  of  the  doomed  city.  Deep  down 
among  these  ruins  are  many  things  of  great  interest  to  be  seen, 
but  which  we  have  no  time  here  to  describe,  and  so  returning 
again,  retrace  our  steps  to  the  old  City  of  Naples,  take  a  quiet 
night's  rest,  or  as  much  so  as  the  excessive  heat  and  the  incor- 
rigible fleas  would  suffer  us  to  do,  and  next  day  finding  tired 
nature  a  little  restored  after  much  fatigue,  we  take  an  early 
breakfast  and  we  set  out  to  reach  Pompeii — renowned  Pompeii, 

Some  twenty  miles  away 
There  to  spend  another  day, 

among  those  marvelous  ruins,  also  of 

That  famed  old  city  of  which  Pliny  wrote, 
Which  the  fierce  volleys  of  Vesuvius  smote, 
With  ashy  showers  and  liquid  lava  streams 
Doomed  Pompeii  fell  amid  her  people's  screams. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  29 1 

But  to  give  anything  like  a  minute  or  even  general  descrip- 
tion of  these  grand  ruins  as  they  now  present  themselves  after 
many  years  of  excavations  that  have  been  carried  on,  and  the 
thousands  of  different  relics,  and  specimens  of  almost  every 
thing  the  human  mind  can  possibly  conceive  of,  which  have 
been  exhumed  and  placed  in  the  Pompeiian  Museum  in  Naples, 
would  alone  require  a  volume  to  describe.  We  are  therefore 
compelled  to  pass  all  over  together,  and  after  another  laborious 
day  and  also  a  very  hot  one,  among  the  ruins,  evening  finds  us 
returning  again  to  Naples,  from  which  point  we  start  on  the 
following  day  back  again  to  Rome,  and  after  another  short  rest 
and  making  purchases  of  various  little  souvenirs,  we  take  our 
departure  once  more  by  rail  for  Paris  via  Lake  Como  and  a 
few  other  points  of  interest. 


292  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Voyage  from  Paris,  via  London  and  Liverpool,  to  America. 

AFTER  again  reaching  Paris  and  collecting  my  purchases 
made  at  different  points,  and  completing  the  same  in  Paris,  I 
had  all  shipped  together  from  that  place  as  well  as  London. 
And  so,  bidding  adieu  to  the  fair  city  with  all  its  charms,  I  went 
direct  to  London,  recrossing  that  baneful,  turbulent  channel. 
From  London,  after  a  short  stay,  I  went  direct  to  Liverpool, 
and  there  taking  steamer,  I  sailed  for  New  York,  without  meet- 
ing with  any  greater  adventures,  or  perhaps  any  rougher  sea, 
than  is  usually  encountered  on  that  almost  perpetually  rough 
ocean,  the  Atlantic,  especially  as  the  season  was  now  far  ad- 
vancing into  the  Autumn,  or  about  the  time  of  the  equinoctial 
storms. 

After  my  arrival  in  New  York,  I  remained  long  enough  to 
purchase  more  fresh  stock  for  my  drug  establishment,  and, 
shipping  the  same,  I  returned  to  my  old  home  in  Memphis  by 
rail,  passing  through  the  State  of  Indiana,  where  I  again  stopped 
long  enough  to  visit  my  parents  and  other  relations,  and  rest 
awhile,  as  I  had  done  some  months  before,  just  before  starting 
on  my  long  tour  of  so  much  uncertainty  as  to  long  contiuuation 
of  my  life,  or  my  ability  to  make  the  tour  or  live  to  return  again. 
But  my  own  life  had  not  only  been  graciously  spared,  but  also 
the  lives  of  all  my  near  and  dear  relations  during  my  absence ; 
but  among  old  friends  at  Memphis  a  few  deaths  had  occurred, 
which  caused  me  sadness  on  missing,  after  my  return,  their  fa- 
miliar faces  and  companionship,  which  I  had  enjoyed  so  much 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  293 

in  days  and  years  past.  I  was  gratified  in  knowing  also  that 
my  own  health  had  much  improved  during  my  stay  and  travels 
abroad,  however  great  the  fatigue  and  many  hardships  I  had 
endured  almost  constantly,  and  such,  indeed,  as  are  quite  al- 
ways incident  to  an  industrious  traveler  in  foreign  countries. 
It  also  afforded  me  pleasure  to  know  that  under  the  faithful 
care  and  judicious  management  of  my  brother  William  and 
excellent  clerks,  my  business  had  not  only  been  successfully 
conducted  with  credit  to  the  house,  but  had  also  been  made 
profitable. 

After  again  entering  upon  the  routine  of  a  laborious  profes- 
sional and  business  life,  though  my  health  was  much  improved 
at  the  time,  yet  I  soon  found  it  began  to  give  way  again,  and 
at  the  end  of  a  few  months  I  found  myself  prostrate  and  con- 
fined to  a  bed  of  long  and  severe  illness,  which  at  one  time 
came  very  near  proving  my  last,  through  a  lack  of  knowledge 
or  skill  on  the  part  of  my  physicians,  and  my  own  ignorance 
and  recklessness  in  suffering  myself  to  be  well  nigh  dosed  to  death 
by  heroic  medication  from  poisonous  drugs  prescribed  at  their 
hands  "  sccundum  artem"  before  discovering  they  would  finally 
finish  me  if  I  suffered  them  to  continue  on,  or  did  not  put 
a  stop  to  their  empirical  experiments  and  foolishness,  which, 
however,  I  did  incontinently,  throwing  aside  all  physic,  giving 
Nature  once  more  a  chance,  and  so  got  well  again,  or  at  least 
able  to  get  up  and  go  around  a  little.  In  the  meantime,  the 
war  was  simply  raging  with  unabated  fury,  destruction,  and 
devastation.  And  about  this  time  Sherman  was  making  his 
grand  march,  cutting  a  broad  belt  all  the  way  through  the 
South,  from  its  border  States  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  spread- 
ing the  wildest  and  most  dreadful  consternation  and  extermin- 


-294  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

ation  to  everything  in  his  way,  with  fire,  shot  shell,  and  sword, 
regardless  of  age,  sex,  or  previous  condition.  All  had  to  share 
alike  the  fortunes,  or  rather  destruction,  of  war,  before  this 
modern  Alexander,  Napoleon,  or  Nero.  And  whilst  fertile 
fields,  dwellings,  barns,  cities,  towns,  villages,  and  plantations, 
with  their  inhabitants,  their  plentiful  supplies  of  grain  and  other 
food,  their  cattle,  mules,  horses,  sheep,  hogs,  poultry,  etc., 
were  in  the  front ;  in  the  rear  was  only  to  be  seen  devastation 
and  smouldering  ruins,  and  one  vast  desert  plain,  swept  over, 
and  no  longer  inhabited  by  man,  beast,  or  "contraband." 
And  this,  indeed,  did  "  break  the  backbone  "  of  the  rebellion. 

During  the  winter  of  i864-'5  an<^  before  the  close  of  the  re- 
bellion, having  lived  the  rather  lonely  life  of  a  bachelor  till  I 
had  grown  tired,  I  determined  to  make  a  change  in  my  domes- 
tic relations,  which  I  did  by  marrying  a  young  lady,  Miss  Julia 
C.  Farnsworth,  who  had  been  educated  and  raised  in  Mem- 
phis. My  health,  however,  still  continuing  poor,  we  spent  a 
part  of  our  time  abroad  from  home,  in  the  Central  and  Eastern 
States,  at  different  health  resorts,  such  as  are  to  be  found  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  Round  Hill,  Northampton,  Massachu- 
setts, New  York,  and  other  places,  but  afterwards  returned  to 
Memphis,  to  remain  permanently. 

Some  four  years  and  a  half  after  our  marriage,  our  babe,  (a 
little  son)  was  born,  but  in  half  an  hour  after,  his  mother's  mor- 
tal life  on  earth  ended,  leaving  a  helpless  little  motherless  babe 
to  my  charge,  and  to  the  care  of  other  near  and  dear  friends 
and  loved  ones.  Over  this  saddest  part  of  the  history  of  my 
life  I  would  gladly  have  drawn  the  veil  of  obscurity,  but  for  the 
necessity  of  making  these  personal  memoirs  more  complete, 
but  in  which  it  is  hardly  presumed  that  the  entire  stranger  will 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  295 

feel  any  special  interest.  And  in  order  not  to  seem  prolix  or 
tedious  in  giving  a  minute  account  of  this,  or  any  matter  indeed 
pertaining  to  it,  I  will  pass  on  to  notice  very  briefly  other  trials 
and  scenes  that  I  was  called  to  pass  through  in  rapid  succession. 
Among  these  was  the  complete  prostration  of  my  health ;  and 
now  having  lost  all  that  then  seemed  dear  to  me  in  this  life,  I  very 
foolishly  gave  myself  up  to  utter  despair  and  the  most  poignant 
grief,  losing  all  interest  not  only  in  matters  of  business,  but  even 
in  the  protection  of  my  property,  which  I  had  toiled  and  labor- 
ed so  assiduously  to  accumulate.  And  a  number  of  rapacious 
and  ever  vigilant  Shylocks,  such  as  are  ever  watching  out  for 
and  seeking  every  opportunity  to  rob  the  unwary,  were  not  long 
in  lighting  upon  me,  with  a  view  to  making  me  their  victim,  to 
help  gratify  that  insatiable  greed  of  gain.  And  in  this  way,  I 
soon  discovered  my  property  gradually  and  quietly  melting  away 
from  me,  piece  by  piece,  in  the  way  of  real  estate,  .while  the 
merchandise  was  going  also  in  the  same  way ;  I  in  the  mean- 
time looked  on  calmly,  as  if  taking  some  comfort  at  least,  in  see- 
ing it  thus  disappear,  and  feeling  a  sort  of  consolation  that  after 
all  was  gone,  I  would  no  longer  be  troubled  with  it  any  more 
forever,  nor  would  I  have  any  trouble  either,  in  closing  out,  or 
sweeping  up,  any  rubbish  that  might  remain  from  the  wreck  and 
ruin.  To  cut  this  part  of  my  life's  history  short,  and  so  close 
this  chapter,  I  need  only  add  that  it  took  quite  five  years  to  ac- 
complish the  above,  so  as  to  make  a  clean  sweep  as  it  might  be 
called,  leaving  me  nothing  to  look  after,  or  indeed  care  for  in 
the  meantime,  except  my  little  motherless  infant,  who  by  this 
time,  had  grown  into  a  beautiful,  bright  little  fellow  of  five  sum- 
mers. 

Excepting  a  few  visits  I  had  made  up  to  the  Central  States, 


296          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

and  back  East,  and  one  winter  I  spent  down  South  in  New  Or- 
leans, I  had  remained  most  of  these  five  years  in  Memphis, 
having  given  myself  up  wholly  to  study,  to  which  I  had  not  on- 
ly applied  myself  quite  closely  for  many  years  prior  to  that  time, 
but  even  constantly  since,  and  so  continued  to  do,  rinding  more 
real  pleasure  and  happiness  in  this  than  in  anything  else  this 
deceitful  world  can  afford  ;  all  charms  of  general  association  or 
"  society  "  as  it  is  called,  having  long  since  vanished  into  thin 
air,  or  as  the  soap  bubble  a  child  may  amuse  himself  with  as  he 
blows  it  from  his  clay  pipe,  and  then  watches  till  it  bursts  and 
vanishes  forever.  And  that,  in  fact,  is  about  as  much  as  I  was 
able  to  see  or  find  in  "  society,"  so  called  in  earlier  days,  and 
have  not  as  yet  learned  of  any  great  improvements  in  it  since 
then. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  297 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Second  Tour  over  Europe.     Travels,  Scenes  and  Life  in  the  Orient,  etc. 

IN  the  last  chapter  of  these  brief  memoirs,  the  reader  will  re- 
member I  referred  to  a  second  tour  over  Europe,  and  also  in 
it  and  in  other  chapters  mentioned  having  traveled  and  spent 
time  in  the  East,  or  Orient,  viz,  Egypt,  Palestine,  Syria,  Africa, 
Asia  Minor,  or  Turkey. 

This  journey  I  started  upon  June,  187  ,  from  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  where  I  had  spent  the  last  thirteen  years  of  my  life.  But 
now  feeling  the  great  need  and  even  necessity  of  a  change,  I 
closed  up  my  matters  there,  with  a  view  of  not  only  returning 
to  Europe  again,  but  to  take  up  my  permanent  residence  in 
some  part  of  the  old  world,  most  probably  in  Paris,  taking  my 
little  son  with  me  as  far  as  Kentucky,  leaving  him  there  with 
near  relations,  for  the  time  being,  at  least,  and  then  pursuing 
my  journey. 

Nothing  of  special  interest  occurred  before  reaching  Europe, 
though  an  exceedingly  disagreeable  sea  voyage,  rough  sailing, 
and  a  miserable  craft  of  the  Anchor  line  of  steamers,  such  as 
was  not  fit  to  take  passage  in,  but  the  best  we  could  get  at  that 
time.  Landing  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  after  spending  some 
time  looking  over  Scotland  a  second  time  with  some  friends 
who  were  traveling  companions  on  the  voyage  over,  we  went 
from  there  direct  to  London ;  and  after  a  short  stay  there  and 
in  the  country,  pursued  our  journey  to  Paris,  where  I  remained 
till  early  Autumn,  when  I  joined  a  party  of  excursionists  under 
the  supervision  and  management  of  Cook's  Tourist  Agency, 


298  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

bound  for  the  "  Holy  Land,"  so  called.  On  leaving  Paris,  we 
stopped  at  various  points  of  interest,  on  our  way  through 
France,  Switzerland  and  Italy,  before  reaching  Rome  ;  and 
from  there  going  on  to  Naples,  from  which  point  our  whole 
company  were  to  set  sail  at  a  given  date,  having  become  a  lit- 
tle separated  before  reaching  that  place.  And  having  now  all 
become  collected  together,  and  the  time  arrived  to  start  on  our 
voyage  over  the  Mediterranean,  we  set  sail  on  one  of  the  steam- 
ers of  the  Rubitina  line  direct  for  Alexandria,  Egypt.  There 
were  some  eighteen  or  twenty  in  our  company,  besides  other 
passengers.  The  vessel,  though  not  one  of  the  largest,  was 
comfortable  enough.  As  the  sea  was  not  rough  at  that  season, 
the  voyage  was  rather  a  pleasant  one,  on  some  accounts,  at 
least.  The  time  required  from  Naples  to  Alexandria  was  six 
days,  and  our  course  took  us  in  full  view  of  Mount  Etna  ;  also 
near  the  Stromboli,  then  in  a  state  of  eruption.  We  also  passed 
near  some  of  the  islands  of  Greece  and  Sicily,  landing  at  some 
of  the  same,  also  passing  through  the  perilous  straits  of  Cha- 
rybdis  and  Scylla.  The  sunset  views  on  this  voyage  afforded 
me  special  interest,  being  among  the  most  charming  I  have 
ever  beheld.  As  soon  as  we  entered  the  harbor  at  Alexandria, 
we  were  placed  under  the  quarantine  law,  it  being  declared 
we  had  sailed  from  a  cholera  port — Naples,  at  the  time  of  our 
departure,  being  infected  with  that  epidemic.  Before  leaving 
the  vessel,  we  were  all  exposed  to  a  disinfecting  process  of  fu- 
migation, which  lasted  quite  an  hour,  and  was  something  inde- 
scribably dreadful  to  endure,  and  for  which  there  was  not  the 
slightest  occasion  or  even  pretext,  inasmuch  as  there  had  not  been 
a  single  case  of  cholera  aboard  the  ship  during  the  whole  voy- 
age, or  even  the  semblance  of  a  case.  The  fiat  of  quarantine 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.          299 

law,  however,  was  inexorable,  and  the  determination  of  its  of- 
ficers to  enforce  it  was  irresistible ;  and  it  was  therefore  quar- 
antine or  perhaps  death.  After  submitting  to  this  dreadful  in- 
fliction in  a  tight  inclosure,  for,  as  I  have  said,  about  one  hour 
we  were  put  into  a  sort  of  stock  pen  on  wheels,  and  taken  sev- 
eral miles,  when  we  were  placed  in  a  large  enclosure  with  high 
walls,  and  bolts  and  locks  turned  upon  us. 

The  Quarantine  law  holds  regularly  for  forty  days,  and  our 
understanding  was,  this  was  to  be  the  duration  of  our  confine- 
ment in  this  miserable  old  lazaretto.  The  weather  was  oppres- 
sively hot,  water  bad,  and  the  place  filthy,  and  abounded  with 
flies  and  fleas.  Our  fare  however,  was  barely  tolerable,  for 
which  we  were  required  to  pay  $2.00  per  day.  The  time  of 
course  dragged  slowly  with  us  in  this  condition.  But  greatly 
to  our  relief,  and  rather  unexpectedly  to  us  too,  after  remain- 
ing five  days  instead  of  forty,  we  regained  our  liberty;  and 
having  but  little  to  keep  us  longer  in  Alexandria,  except  to 
drive  round,  and  over  the  old  city,  and  view  a  few  things  of 
interest — such,  for  instance  as  the  great  obelisks,  Cleopatra's 
Needle,  Pompey's  Pillar,  the  old  Pasha's  Palace,  Harem,  and 
Gardens ;  note  the  densely  crowded,  dirty,  dusty  streets,  with 
naked  jet  black  sleek  Nubians,  dogs,  camels,  and  donkeys,  in- 
discriminately mixed  up  together  ;  and  having  soon  tired  of 
this,  and  wanting  to  leave  the  place  as  soon  as  possible,  we 
went  to  the  American  Consul's  office,  had  our  passports  exam- 
ined, and  vised,  procured  tickets,  and  bidding  the  classic  old 
city  of  the  Greek  and  Egyptian  Philosophers,  the  Stoics  and 
Spartans  of  early  ages  adieu,  we  took  our  departure  by  rail  for 
Cairo  up  the  Nile. 

Had  our  reception  and  impressions  been  a  little  more  favor- 


300  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

able  and  pleasant  on  our  first  arrival  at  Alexandria,  we  might 
have  been  better  disposed  towards  the  place,  and  therefore 
inclined  to  remain  longer  sight-seeing  and  viewing  more  close- 
ly ;  not  that  we  would  have  taken  the  trouble,  perhaps,  to  do 
what  that  grand  old  cynic  philosopher  Diogenes  could  not 
do  in  Athens,  viz,  after  traversing  the  streets  diligently  and 
carefully  searching  the  many  lanes,  by-ways,  crooks  and  turns, 
with  lighted  lamp  in  hand  in  broad  day-light,  was  asked  what 
he  was  looking  for  ?  brusquely  answered  :  "  I  am  searching  to 
see  if  I  can  possibly  find  one  honest  man  in  the  City  of  Athens." 

The  scenery  through  Egypt,  and  along  the  Nile  as  far  as 
Cairo,  afforded  but  little,  to  interest  or  attract  in  any  way,  the 
ground  being  mostly  very  low,  flat  and  marshy,  with  sloughs  or 
quagmires,  fit  places  for  the  hairless  cattle  with  humps  on  their 
backs  like  the  buffalo,  to  wallow  in,  which  they  seemed  very 
fond  of,  just  as  the  American  hog  does  in  hot  weather  also. 
And  the  raciest  team  I  saw  in  Egypt,  was  one  of  those  buffaloes 
and  a  camel  yoked  together,  drawing  the  same  old  Egyptian 
plow  made  from  the  forks  of  a  tree,  which  formed  the  single 
handle,  the  long  beam  and  short  plow  part ;  just  such  as  were 
used  doubtless  4,000  years  ago,  or  such  as  plowed  and  tilled 
the  soil  which  produced  the  corn  that  Joseph  garnered  up  for 
the  five  years'  famine  which  came  upon  that  land. 

Stopping  at  the  best  hostelry  in  Cairo,  on  the  following  day, 
we  took  carriages,  and  crossing  the  Nile  on  a  very  substantial 
drawbridge,  we  drove  a  distance  of  ten  miles  to  the  ancient  and 
historic  Pyramids,  and  after  ascending  to  the  summit  of  the 
largest  one,  Cheops,  with  no  small  effort,  and  all  the  assistance 
we  could  get  besides,  we  were  well  repaid  by  the  grand  scenes 
which  lay  beneath  and  in  the  distance,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  301 

reach  in  every  direction  aided  by  the  field  glass.  But  we  have 
no  space  to  describe  minutely,  either  the  scenery  or  the  pyra- 
mids, nor,  indeed,  the  City  of  Cairo,  or  to  even  describe 
Egyptian  life  and  scenes,  as  they  now  present  themselves  to  the 
traveler.  On  leaving  Cairo,  our  company  divided,  some  going 
up  by  way  of  the  Red  Sea,  whilst  others  by  rail  went  directly 
on  through  the  Land  of  Goshen  to  Ismalia,  on  the  great  Suez 
Canal,  at  which  point  we  all  met  together  again,  and  taking  a 
small  steamer  went  direct  on  the  Canal,  to  its  terminus  at 
Port  Said,  and  at  its  outlet  to  the  Mediterranean.  The  Suez 
Canal  is  one  hundred  miles  long,  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
wide,  and  fifty  feet  deep.  The  largest  sized  steamers  ply  its 
waters.  Mr.  DeLesseps,  who  is  now  engaged  on  the  Panama 
Canal,  was  its  originator  and  builder. 

At  Port  Said  we  engaged  passage  on  a  Russian  steamer  of 
the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Mail  line,  which  sailed  for  Constan- 
tinople via  Joppa  and  other  points  on  the  Mediterranean  coast. 
Arriving  at  Joppa,  our  vessel  made  a  landing  there,  which  is 
generally  attended  with  great  difficulty,  often  with  much  danger, 
and  sometimes  impossible  on  account  of  rough  sea  and  very 
dangerous  harbor.  We  were  met  some  distance  out  in  the  bay 
by  small  vessels  manned  by  the  stout,  rough  native  Arabs,  who 
handled  both  our  baggage  and  ourselves  roughly.  Albeit,  we 
succeeded  in  getting  ashore  safely,  or  without  accident  or  loss 
of  baggage,  which  is  not  always  the  case. 

According  to  Pliny  and  other  historians,  Joppa  is  one  of  the 
oldest,  if  not  indeed  the  oldest,  inhabited  city  in  the  world,  of 
which  we  have  any  authenticated  account,  and  Damascus  is  the 
other.  And  it  is  believed  that  these  two  cities  were  coeval  with 
the  days  of  Noah  before  the  flood.  Joppa  has  a  population  of 


302  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   Till.    .MTIIOR. 

some  15,000.  The  house  of  Simon  the  tanner  is  still  pointed 
out  to  the  traveler.  We  remained  here  long  enough  to  arrange 
a  general  equipage  of  tents  and  a  complete  camping  outfit  for 
our  whole  party,  including  cooking  stove,  utensils,  tables  and 
table  ware,  bedding,  provisions,  etc.,  cooks,  dragoman  and 
horses,  for  our  journeys  by  land  over  Palestine. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  303 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
Travels,  Life  and  Scenes  in  the  Holy  Land,  Continued. 

LEAVING  Joppa  about  noon,  we  took  the  only  road  now  trav- 
eled, or  indeed,  that  has  ever  been  for  many  thousands  of  years, 
which  leads  to  Jerusalem,  passing  through  the  plains  of  Sharon, 
the  town  of  Lydia,  and  along  through  the  valley  of  Gibeon,  and 
over  the  mountains  of  Gibeon.  We  arrived  in  this  valley,  and 
on  the  ancient  site  and  battle  field  of  Gibeon  about  sunset ;  at 
which  time  I  found  myself  with  a  chill,  which  was  soon  fol- 
lowed by  a  burning  fever,  causing  me  a  very  restless  night,  and 
by  no  means  in  a  fit  condition  to  pursue  my  journey  the  next 
day.  But,  having  only  about  eighteen  miles  further  to  go  be- 
fore reaching  Jerusalem — being  then  about  half  way  between 
the  two  places — the  whole  distance  between  Joppa  and  Jerusa- 
lem being  thirty-six  miles,  and  exchanging  a  very  mean  riding 
horse  for  a  better  one  belonging  to  our  dragoman,  and  mount- 
ing this,  a  splendid  riding  Arab  steed,  I  was  enabled  to  com- 
plete the  journey  with  the  rest  of  our  party  early  in  the  after- 
noon the  same  day;  stopping  at  the  best  hotel  in  the  city, 
which,  though  not  first  class  in  all  its  appointments,  yet  was 
better  than  we  could  have  hoped  for,  all  things  considered. 

During  our  stay  in  Palestine,  which  lasted  some  time,  every 
day  was  devoted  to  visiting  places  and  scenes  the  most  ancient 
and  sacred  to  every  Christian,  or  reader  of  the  Bible.  But  for 
us  to  refer  to  all,  and  mention  everything  seen  during  our  trav- 
els and  sojourn  of  some  months  in  Palestine  and  Syria,  would 
require  the  writing  of  a  volume  even  larger  than  this  whole 


304  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

book.  The  reader,  therefore,  must  be  content  with  only  a  few 
brief  and  passing  notices  which  we  shall  here  give,  as  relates  to 
the  LAND  OF  SACRED  STORY. 

In  exploring  the  land  of  Palestine,  nothing  interests  the 
Christian  traveler  so  much  as  to  observe  at  almost  every  step 
the  unbounded  light  the  "Land  of  the  Book  "  sheds  so  constant- 
ly upon  the  sacred  volume.  Viewed  from  this  standpoint,  Pal- 
estine appears  as  a  great  chamber  of  the  most  sublime  and  beau- 
tiful imagery,  in  which  every  object  may  be  used  to  interpret 
sacred  history.  Every  tree  that  grows  in  that  land,  and 
flower  that  blooms  on  the  hills  or  in  the  vales,  every  bird  that 
warbles  its  little  songs  of  praise,  and  every  fountain  that  sends 
forth  its  cooling  stream  to  slake  the  thirst  of  the  weary  traveler, 
and  every  star  that  shines  from  heaven  to  impress  us  with  the 
glory  that  lies  beyond,  all,  all  have  a  voice  to  unfold  the  sa- 
cred book  of  God,  and  reveal  the  hidden  treasures  that  lie  con- 
cealed within.  Such  a  revelation  as  this  makes  dark  things 
light  to  our  eyes,  and  crooked  things  straight  before  us.  There- 
fore of  a  verity,  may  the  traveler  who  is  a  student  of  the  Bible 
exclaim,  the  God  of  the  LAND  is  indeed  the  God  of  the  BOOK. 
As  we  have  said,  every  bird  of  the  Holy  Land  is  a  tuneful 
witness  of  the  sacred  record.  "  The  stork  (still)  knoweth  the 
appointed  time  of  her  coming." 

The  eagle  is  seen  mounting  up  towards  heaven,  and  "gath- 
ering whithersoever  the  carcass  is."  The  little  sparrows  still 
chatter  upon  the  house-tops,  and  are  sold  "two  for  a  farthing," 
or  "  five  for  two  farthings."  The  young  ravens  (are  still  heard 
to)  cry  to  God  for  food,  and  he  still  continues  to  feed  them  ; 
also  "  the  fowls  of  the  air,  that  sow  not,  neither  do  they  gather 
into  barns,"  but  are  still  fed  by  our  Heavenly  Father.  The 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  305 

clothing  of  the  people  is  still  the  same  in  style  and  fashion 
worn  long  centuries  ago,  even  before  Jesus  of  Nazareth  dwelt 
upon  earth,  or  perhaps  thousands  of  years  before.  Customs 
or  habits  of  dress,  so  whimsical,  and  eccentric,  and  capricious 
in  our  land,  are  as  settled  there  as  the  eternal  hills  around  Je- 
rusalem ;  they  never  change ;  hence  we  see  at  all  times  in  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem,  Joppa,  Samaria,  and  Damascus,  the  girdle 
of  Judah  or  of  Paul,  the  sandals  of  the  Gibeonites,  the  mantle 
of  Elijah  and  of  Samuel,  the  turban  of  good  old  Daniel,  and 
the  seamless  robe  of  our  Savior,  "  for  which  the  soldiers  cast 
lots."  The  climate  of  the  land  still  confirms  the  record  of  the 
holy  writ.  "  When  the  south  wind  blows,  there  is  heat,"  and 
"  when  a  cloud  rises  in  the  west  there  is  rain."  The  seasons 
are  still  marked  by  "  the  early  and  latter  rains,"  and  should 
either  fail,  as  happened  in  the  days  of  Elijah,  and  still  does 
sometimes,  famine,  in  all  its  desolations,  disease,  and  death  is 
sure  to  follow.  I  traveled  over  that  land  after  a  drouth  of 
five  months,  when  every  spear  of  grass,  or  vestige  of  every 
kind  of  vegetation  was  dried  and  parched ;  likewise  the  whole 
earth  dried  and  baked,  till  it  was  cracked  over  in  great  and  deep 
fissures,  making  it  dangerous  to  ride  over  it,  whilst  the  heat 
rose  up  as  from  a  furnace,  and  nearly  all  fountains,  pools,  or 
streams  of  water  were  also  dried  up. 

The  diseases  of  that  country  are  still  the  same  type  as  when 
the  Great  Physician  went  abroad  healing  all  manner  of  diseases, 
as  well  as  his  disciples,  also.  Around  the  little  Sea  of  Galilee 
fevers  still  abound,  such  as  prostrated  the  little  daughter  of 
Jairus  and  the  mother  in-law  of  Peter.  Also  at  Bethany,  sud- 
den and  fatal  diseases  occur,  such  as  overcame  Lazarus,  whom 
Jesus  raised  from  the  dead.  Sunstroke  is  still  common  on  the 


306  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

plains,  as  when  the  son  of  the  Shunamite  woman  fell  under  its 
effects.  (II  Kings,  4.)  Leprosy,  in  its  loathsome  and  hideous 
deformity,  still  prevails,  as  it  did  in  the  days  of  the  great  law- 
giver, Moses,  and  as  in  the  days  of  the  Savior.  It  is,  indeed, 
a  sad,  a  melancholy  sight,  to  look  upon  the  victims  of  this  most 
loathsome  and  dreadful  disease.  These  miserable  creatures 
are  to  be  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  often  huddled 
together  outside  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  and  other  cities,  quite 
naked,  or  only  half  clad,  without  shelter  or  food,  begging  what- 
ever they  may  get  from  the  stranger  as  he  passes  by  at  a  dis. 
tance  from  them. 

In  Damascus  are  two  hospitals  for  lepers,  the  climate  being 
considered  very  favorable  for  the  disease,  owing  to  great  mild- 
ness of  temperature.  One  of  these  hospitals  is  owned  and 
controlled  by  the  Turks,  and  a  miserable  collection  of  mud- 
huts  it  is,  such  as  would  scarcely  be  fit  for  hyenas  and  jackals 
to  stay  in  ;  the  other,  owned  by  Christians  of  various  sects,  is 
surrounded  with  a  wall,  and  is  a  better  grade  of  pest-house. 
The  condition  of  these  poor  creatures  is,  indeed,  sad  enough, 
as  there  seems  to  be  no  provision  made  either  by  the  govern- 
ment or  any  society,  or  even  private  individuals,  for  their  sup- 
port or  maintenance  in  any  way,  and  arc  therefore  compelled 
to  beg  what  little  they  get  to  sustain  life.  I  went  among  these 
miserable  creatures,  heard  their  sad  stories,  and  saw  their  dis- 
ease in  its  every  stage,  and  its  most  horrible  developments. 
Leprosy  seldom  appears  upon  its  victim  earlier  in  life  than  the 
fifth  year;  therefore,  infants  seldom,  if  evoi,  suffer  from  it. 
The  general  average  with  those  afflicted  is  about  five  males  to 
one  female.  There  are  but  two  well  defined  types  of  the  dis- 
ease, known  as  "tuberculous"  and  "anesthetic."  The  first 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  307 

symptoms  are  usually  numbness,  pricking,  or  a  dead  feeling  in 
the  extremities ;  the  skin  becomes  thickened  and  changed  into 
a  red,  dusky  hue  ;  tubercles  appear  on  the  face  and  extremities, 
after  which  suppuration,  which  is  next  followed  "by  sloughing 
and  loss  of  fingers  and  toes,  sometimes  feet  and  hands  also ; 
often  the  nose  becomes  destroyed,  together  with  the  tongue  and 
palate,  with  all  powers  of  speech  destroyed  likewise  ;  the  eye- 
lashes and  brows,  with  the  hair  of  the  head  and  face,  all  drop, 
and  the  poor  sufferer  is  left  in  this  condition,  a  most  miserable 
and  pitiful  object,  till  death  comes  kindly  to  his  relief,  althoiTgh 
the  disease  may,  and  often  does,  last  ten,  fifteen,  and  even 
twenty  years,  and  sometimes  longer. 

Blindness  is  another  dreadfully  prevalent  affliction  in  Pales- 
tine and  other  Eastern  countries,  and  the  blind  still  "  sit  by  the 
wayside  "  begging,  as  did  Bartimeus.  It  is  no  unusual  thing  to 
see  "  the  blind  lead  the  blind  "  ;  nor  need  this  be  wondered  at 
when  perhaps  uuite  a  fourth  of  the  whole  population  of  some  of 
the  towns  are  blind  of  one  or  both  eyes.  The  great  prevalence 
of  this  sad  affliction  is  generally  caused  from  an  impalpably 
fine  powdered  sand,  with  which  the  whole  atmosphere  becomes 
filled,  from  the  siroccos  that  blow  there  sometimes  continuously 
for  a  month  or  longer,  and  which  not  only  penetrate  even  the 
very  pores  of  the  skin,  and  enter  the  lungs  through  the  nasal 
passages  and  throat,  but  also  fill  the  eyes,  producing  inflamma- 
tion, causing  a  disease  known  as  opthalmia,  which  becomes  so 
severe  as  to  cause  the  eyeballs  to  swell  up  and  burst  open,  in- 
stantly producing  blindness  as  well  as  the  most  dreadful  suffer- 
ing, during  the  progress  of  the  disease;  and  all  ages  have  to 
suffer  alike,  children  as  well  as  adults. 

The  domestic  habits  of  life  continue  the  same,  just  as  they 


308          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  Ol   I  HI  AUTHOR. 

have  for  four  thousand  years,  as  plainly  taught  in  the  Bible.  In 
the  sultry  hours  of  noon,  they  "sit  under  their  own  vine  and 
fig  tree,"  and  sleep  at  night  under  booths  upon  the  flat  house- 
tops. The  bread  is  that  "daily  bread  "  the  Savior  taught  his 
disciples  and  us  to  pray  for — thin,  small  loaves  or  cakes,  five 
making  an  ordinary  meal,  and  baked  in  earthern  ovens,  and 
eaten  fresh  every  day,  whilst  reclining  at  the  table,  as  at  the 
"  Last  Supper  "  of  Jesus  and  his  disciples.  The  sound  of  the 
mill  grinding  is  still  heard  through  the  silent  hours  of  the  night, 
as  well  as  all  day ;  two  women  sit  facing  each  other  on  the 
ground  on  either  side  the  coarse  mill  stones,  which  lie  one 
upon  the  other,  forming  the  "upper  and  nether  mill  stones  "  ; 
through  a  round  hole  in  the  center  of  the  upper  one,  the  grain 
is  poured  in  slowly  by  the  hand ;  then  taking  hold  of  a  pin  of 
wood,  fastened  into  the  stone  near  the  rim,  it  is  drawn  half 
way  around  by  the  hand  of  one,  when  the  other  seizes  it  and 
completes  the  circuit,  then  back  again,  and  so  on,  continuing 
the  process  almost  constantly  day  and  night,  to  grind  a  little 
coarse  meal  sufficiently  to  supply  the  absolute  wants  of  life  or 
hunger.  The  dead  are  still  carried  on  open  biers,  without  cof- 
fins, and  the  death  songs  of  the  minstrels  still  accompany  the 
dead  body,  with  lamentations  of  mourning  women.  I  attended 
one  of  these  funeral  services,  as  above  mentioned,  at  the  town 
of  Bethlehem,  one  Sunday  morning,  the  body  being  carried  to 
an  open  sepulchre  or  grave,  hewn  out  of  rock,  and  interred  with 
only  a  winding  sheet  and  no  coffin;  nor  could  they  get  wood  in 
that  country  to  make  a  coffin  out  of,  if  they  wanted  it. 

The  virgins  at  the  wedding  still  "go  forth  to  meet  the  bride- 
groom." I  attended  one  of  those  Oriental  marriage  ceremo- 
nies, which  took  place  at  the  hour  of  midnight,  the  bride,  and 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR.  309 

her  maids  of  honor,  with  their  lamps,  and  band  of  music,  going 
forth  to  the  bridegroom's  house,  when  all  went  in,  and  the  mar- 
riage took  place ;  but  the  ceremony  was  too  tedious  to  here  de- 
scribe. 

The  same  implements  of  husbandry,  the  same  plowing,  sow-  • 
ing  of  seeds,  and  reaping  the  grain,  threshing  and  winnowing 
the  chaff  from  the  wheat,  continue  just  the  same,  and  in  exact- 
ly the  same  way  as  practiced  thousands  of  years  ago. 

The  geography  of  the  country  remains  the  same  ;  all  the  sa- 
cred scenes  are  to  be  found  in  their  ancient  places,  just  as  the 
intelligent  traveler  who  is  a  Bible  reader  would  expect  to  find 
them,  and  no  better  guide  book  can  be  had  to  point  out  and 
locate  them  with  complete  accuracy,  than  the  Bible.  There, 
we  still  see  "  Bethlehem  of  Judea,"  the  birth  place  of  Jesus  • 
Hebron,  Jerusalem,  high  upon  her  three  hills  of  Zion,  Moriah 
and  Acre ;  Bethany  on  Mount  Olivet,  where  Mary,  Martha  and 
Lazarus,  "  the  friends  of  Jesus,"  lived ;  Bethpage,  Bethel,  where 
Jacob  slept  with  a  stone  for  his  pillow,  and  saw  that  sublime 
and  heavenly  vision  of  the  angels  ascending  and  descending. 

We  pitched  our  tents  on  this  same  spot  for  a  night ;  but  in- 
stead of  such  a  glorious  vision,  when  awaking  in  the  morning, 
and  looking  out  at  my  tent  door,  towards  the  only  pool  of  water, 
from  which  we  had  drank  the  night  before,  I  saw  a  number  of 
naked  Arabs  of  both  sexes  bathing  in  it !  The  water  was  so 
bad  it  bad  already  made  us  almost  sick,  and  now  this  was  too 
much  for  us,  and  although  feverish  and  thirsty,  yet  we  drank 
not  that  morning. 

Joppa,  Jericho,  Shiloh,  Shechem,  Samaria,  Nain,  Cana,  Lydia, 
Nazareth  the  home  of  Jesus,  a  beautiful  country  town,  with  be- 
tween two  and  three  thousand  inhabitants,  Tiberius,  Caperna- 


310  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

um,  Acre,  Cesarea,  Gaza,  Tyre  and  Sidon,  Chorazin  and 
Bethsaida,  Dan  and  Beersheba.  But  we  cannot  take  time  or 
space  to  describe  either  minutely  or  generally  any  of  these  nu- 
merous places,  however  desirable  it  might  be  to  do  so. 

Near  Jerusalem,  across  the  brook  Kedron,  and  near  the  foot 
of  Mount  Olivet,  we  see  the  beautiful  and  ever  memorable  little 
garden  of  Gethsemane.  This  quiet,  sacred  little  spot  is  enclos- 
ed by  a  wall,  and  adorned  with  beautiful  flowers,  and  the  rev- 
ered olive  trees  which,  for  aught  we  know,  were  standing  there 
in  the  days  of  our  Savior ;  for  it  is  a  known  fact,  the  olive  tree 
of  that  country  seldom  if  ever  dies — the  old  trunk  may  some- 
times decay  and  even  fall  away,  but  the  roots  continue  to  live 
on,  and  again  sprout  up,  forming  a  new  tree,  and  so  continue 
perpetually. 

Aceldama,  the  potters'  field,  [which  was  bought  with  the 
"  thirty  pieces  of  silver "],  the  pools  of  Siloam,  Bethesda,  and 
Gihon,  the  fountains  all  still  remain,  which  used  to  slake  the 
thirst  of  Prophets,  Priests,  and  Kings  ;  that  of  Elijah  near  KT 
icho,  made  sweet  by  the  prophet  casting  a  cruise  of  salt  into  it; 
David's  fountain  near  Hebron  ;  Jacob's  well,  [75  feet  deep,  and 
9  feet  in  diameter] ;  Joseph's  Tomb,  near  by. 

Returning  again  to  Jerusalem,  we  see  King  David's  strong, 
high  tower  still  standing  on  Mount  Zion  ;  and  near  by  his  tomb 
outside  the  walls  of  the  city,  where  he  and  many  other  kings  lie 
buried.  On  Mount  Scopus  on  the  north  are  the  ancient  tombs 
of  the  prophets,  also  the  tombs  of  Zacharias,  St.  James,  and  the 
lamented  and  wayward  Absalom.  The  mountains  round  Jeru- 
salem and  in  that  land  still  stand,  stern  and  awful  in  their  sub- 
lime grandeur,  sacred,  silent  monuments  of  God's  Eternal  Word 
Nebo,  from  the  towering  summit  of  which  Moses  was  permitted 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  311 

to  view  the  "  promised  land,"  before  he  went  up  to  the  heaven- 
ly hill  beyond  Herman,  from  which  the  Jordan  takes  its  source, 
stands  glittering  in  its  diadem  of  sun-melting  snows.  Carmel, 
with  its  bald  promontory,  jutting  into  the  Mediterranean,  and 
looking  westward  over  its  deep  blue  waters,  once  dotted  over  with 
the  white  sails  and  ships  of  King  Solomon,  heavily  laden  with  the 
vast  riches  of  that  great  Monarch,  as  they  returned  from  foreign 
lands.  Tabor,  ever  sacred  as  the  supposed  spot  upon  the  sum- 
mit of  which  the  Transfiguration  occured.  Ebal  and  Gerizim, 
ever  memorable  as  the  Mounts  of  "  blessings  and  cursings,"  and 
upon  the  latter,  where  stood  the  beautiful  temple  in  which  "Our 
Fathers  worshipped."  The  mountain  Gilboa,  upon  which  we 
are  told  neither  dews  nor  rains  have  fallen  since  the  sad  fate  of 
Jonathan,  when  King  David  in  his  bitter  lamentations  over 
them,  exclaimed  "  Ye  Mountains  of  Gilboa,  let  there  be  no  dew, 
neither  let  there  be  rain,"  etc.,  [see  II  Kings,  i  :  13-27].  Also 
the  mountains  around  and  nearer  Jerusalem,  glorious  summits, 
solemn  and  sacred  in  memory,  which  afford  God's  holy  Proph- 
ets their  best  imagery  of  sublime  grandeur  and  majesty ;  all — 
all,  still  stand  as  living  sentinels,  faithful  to  their  trust,  speaking 
witnesses  of  Bible  truths  ;  and  having  thus  stood  for  thousands 
of  years,  so  they  doubtless  will  continue  to  stand,  even  till  time 
itself  shall  be  no  more. 

The  heavens  of  the  holy  land  still  "  declare  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handy  work,7'  just  as  in  days  of 
old  when  they  inspired  the  s.weet  singer  of  Israel.  In  the  blue 
ethereal  sky  the  seven  stars  and  Orion  still  wheel  and  glitter,  as 
in  the  days  of  Arnoz;  u  Arcturus  and  the  chambers  of  the  South  " 
as  in  the  days  of  Job ;  and  the  "  countless  seed  to  Abraham  " 
is  recalled  to  memory  when  looking  up  into  the  Oriental  sky, 
so  thickly  bestudded  and  dotted  and  powdered  with  stars. 


312  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

Never  in  any  country  in  which  I  have  ever  lived  or  travelled, 
have  I  contemplated  with  such  infinite  pleasure  the  starry  firma- 
ment as  in  Palestine,  while  sitting  upon  the  house  top  in 
Jerusalem,  or  at  my  tent  door  at  night,  whilst  the  blue  vaulted 
heavens  seemed  nearer  than  before,  and  the  bright  stars  and 
blazing  planets  seemed  almost  within  hailing  distance.  The 
houses  are  also  the  same  as  they  were  in  the  days  of  the  proph- 
ets and  of  our  Savior,  and  bear  their  testimony  for  the  Book  of 
Books,  the  "foundation  and  rock,"  the  movable  roof,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  paralytic  man  whom  the  Savior  healed.  The  "guest 
chamber  on  the  wall,"  the  "lattice,"  "  the  needle's  eye,"  through 
which  the  burdened  camel  could  not  pass.  Nature,  too,  with 
open  volume,  stands  ready  to  testify  with  her  unvarying  laws, 
"  the  lilies  of  the  field  which  toil  not,"  etc.,  are  still  arrayed  in 
splendor  outrivaling  Solomon  in  all  his  glory.  The  serpent, 
that  emblem  of  cunning,  (not  of  wisdom),  the  little  ant,  emblem 
of  industry,  and  the  dove  of  innocence.  The  little  grain  of 
mustard  seed  still  becomes  so  great  a  tree,  that  the  fowls  of  the 
air  lodge  in  the  branches  thereof.  The  "husks  which  the 
swine  did  eat "  still  hang  profusely  from  the  carob  tree. 

Earthquakes  still  trouble  the  land  as  in  the  days  of  Uriah, 
and  of  the  crucifixion  and  resurfection  of  the  Savior.  The 
"  great  Sea,"  the  little  Sea  of  Galilee  or  Tyberias.  The  "  Dead 
Sea,"  lies  deep  down  in  its  dark  basin  and  solemn  stillness, 
testifying  to  the  dreadful  doom  of  the  cities  of  the  plain.  Sud- 
den storms  still  arise  on  the  little  lake  of  Gennesareth  or  Sea  of 
Galilee  just  as  in  the  days  of  our  Savior,  when  "  he  lay  asleep 
on  a  pillow  in  the  hinder  part  of  the  vessel,"  and  on  the  Medi- 
terranean as  in  the  days  of  Jonah,  off  the  Coast  of  Joppa,  and 
of  Paul  near  the  Island  of  Miletus.  The  swift  Jordan  continues 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE    AUTHOR.  313 

to  flow  on,  emptying  its  volumes  of  muddy  waters  into  the 
Dead  Sea,  just  as  it  has  for  thousands  of  years,  and  at  certain 
seasons,  or  during  "  the  early  and  latter  rains,"  overflowing  its 
banks  often  for  many  miles.  Also  the  rivers  of  Damascus 
"  Abana  and  Pharphar."  The  Shepherds  continue  to  watch 
their  flocks  by  night,  as  in  the  days  of  the  youthful  David,  and 
as  they  did  on  the  night  when  the  "  bright  Star  in  the  East 
appeared  and  stood  over  where  the  infant  Jesus  lay,"  and  when 
they  heard  that  heavenly  choir  of  Angels,  proclaiming  "joy  to 
the  world,  peace,  good  will,"  etc.,  on  the  plains  of  Bethlehem. 
The  laborer  is  still  seen  standing  in  the  market  place,  waiting 
to  be  hired  and  receive  his  (penny)  wages  at  the  close  of  each 
day. 

Merchants  and  tradesmen  still  use  the  "  balances  of  deceit," 
wicked  balances,  a  "  bag  of  deceitful  weights  and  scanty  meas- 
ures." The  penny  still  "  bears  the  'mage  and  superscription 
of  Caesar,"  and  the  little  "  mites  "  two  of  which  make  a  farthing, 
are  still  to  be  seen,  such  as  "  the  poor  widow  cast  into  the 
treasury."  Also  the  "pieces  of  money,"  or  "pieces  of  silver," 
such  as  were  used  to  "  pay  tribute,"  and  such  as  Judas  received 
for  the  betrayal.  And  lastly,  the  trees  of  the  "  Holy  Land — 
Cedars  of  Lebanon  " — still  stand,  such  as  Solomon  used  in  the 
temple  building.  The  graceful  palm  tree,  straight  as  an  arrow, 
emblem  of  the  "  upright  man,"  and  laden  with  its  golden  fruits 
and  waving  its  long  branches.  The  olive  trees,  over  the  slopes 
and  upon  the  summit  of  Mount  Olivet,  and  all  over  the  land, 
still  draw  their  fatness  from  the  flinty  rock.  And  far  and  near, 
from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  the  "  fig  tree  while  its  branches  are 
yet  tender  putteth  forth  its  leaves,"  etc.,  and  its  luscious  fruit 
also  in  its  season,  just  as  it  did  when  the  divine  finger  pointed 


314  AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

it  out  as  an  inimitable  moral  eighteen  centuries  ago.  And  so, 
we  might  continue  to  enumerate  and  mention  one  thing  and 
another,  ad  infinitum,  and  until  our  readers  would  grow  weary, 
and  yet  the  subject  would  still  remain  inexhaustible.  But  we 
here  close  our  brief  sketch  of  Travels  and  Life  in  the  Orient. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE    AUTHOR.  315 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Life,  Scenes  and  Experiences  during  the  Author's  Residence  in  Rome. 

AFTER  returning  from  my  sojourn  in  Palestine  and  Syria,  and 
on  reaching  Rome,  I  decided  to  locate  there,  and  so  make  that 
place  my  future  home.  Leasing  a  whole  flat  of  rooms  on  the 
corner  of  the  Via  Condotti  and  Bocca  de  Leon,  I  took  up  my 
residence  accordingly,  and  although  my  health  was  poor,  yet 
by  taking  the  best  of  care  of  myself,  I  found  I  could  make  Ro- 
man life  barely  tolerable.  And  having  adopted  the  custom  of 
giving  social  entertainments  regularly  one  evening  in  each  week, 
inviting  all  visitors,  and  strangers  in  Rome  generally,  I  was 
not  long  in  making  acquaintances,  but  found  life  also  less  lone- 
ly and  wearisome*.  One,  to  make  and  have  friends  in  Rome, 
only  needs  to  show  himself  friendly.  This  I  did,  and  soon 
therefore  had  a  host  of  friends,  especially  during  the  season 
for  strangers  in  Rome. 

After  quite  a  year's  residence  as  I  have  just  mentioned,  I 
decided  to  change  my  quarters  and  move  to  the  Piazza.  d'Es- 
pagnia,  there  taking  another  flat  of  some  seven  or  eight  rooms ; 
and  in  the-  meantime  corresponded  with  my  brother  and  his  wife, 
with  whom  my  little  son  was  living,  in  Kentucky,  influencing 
them  to  make  a  visit  to  Rome,  or  to  Europe  at  least,  and  bring 
little  Julian  with  them.  And  this  they  did  in  the  summer  of 
1 8 — ,  I  meeting  them  at  Liverpool,  and  accompanying  them 
over  different  parts  of  Europe,  until  we  all  reached  Rome  to- 
gether. 

My  brother  and  wife  visited  Europe  intending  to  remain 
at  least  two  years,  but  not  being  as  well  pleased  with  the  coun- 


316          AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

try  and  the  usual  customs  and  habits  of  living,  and  especially 
with  life  in  Rome,  they  soon  became  tired  of  it,  and  homesick 
too,  and  so  determined  to  return  again  to  America,  which  they 
did  later  in  the  season,  leaving  Julian  with  me.  Their  doing  so 
was  of  course  an  unlooked  for  disappointment  all  round,  and 
to  me  especially,  but  there  seemed  no  help  for  it,  and  so  it  had 
to  be  that  way.  Their  departure  again  was  attended  with  quite 
as  much  sadness  as  their  arrival  had  been  with  joy. 

Autumn  came  and  passed  away,  succeeded  with  a  long, 
dreary  winter  of  clouds  and  rain,  and  then  the  spring  season 
followed,  then  summer  came.  In  the  meantime  Rome's  live- 
liest season  of  late  fall,  winter  and  spring  had  been  attended  with 
the  usual  large  influx  of  strangers  from  almost  every  part  of  the 
world,  and  the  usual  festivities,  gayeties,  etc.  But  now  summer 
having  again  returned,  and  the  hot,  dull  sickly  season  of  Rome 
rapidly  approaching,  strangers  began  to  leave  quite  as  fast  as 
they  had  come  ;  and  although  my  little  boy  and  myself  had 
spent  rather  a  pleasant  season  together  under  the  circumstances, 
yet  we  too  now  began  to  feel  like  getting  away  from  Rome, 
fearing  the  approaching  season,  and  had  indeed  begun  making 
arrangements  accordingly,  when  suddenly,  and  certainly  no  less 
unexpectedly,  a  circumstance  of  the  most  dreadful  and  painful- 
ly sad  nature  occurred,  which  prevented  our  doing  so,  not  only 
for  some  time,  but  came  well  nigh  doing  so  forever ;  the  par- 
ticulars of  which  I  will  now  briefly  relate  in  the  closing  chap- 
ter of  this  book. 

One  morning,  in  the  month  of  May,  as  I  was  sitting  at  my 
desk,  my  little  son — a  bright-eyed  little  fellow  of  only  six  sum- 
mers— came  to  me  in  what  he  called  "  soldier's  clothes,"  armed 
with  a  cane  for  his  gun,  and  leading  his  little  white  poodle  dog 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE    AUTHOR.  317 

with  a  string  ;  he  asked  me  to  let  him  go  with  some  of  his  play- 
mates to  the  Pincian  Garden,  but  a  little  way  off,  to  play.  This 
garden  was  situated  on  a  hill,  surrounded  by  a  high  stone  wall 
on  the  outside,  but  on  the  side  next  to  the  garden  was  only  a 
few  feet  high.  A  smooth,  wide  road  led  from  the  Piazza  d' 
Espagnia,  where  our  house  stood,  up  to  this  beautiful  garden, 
which  ran  along  by  the  hillside,  as  it  had  been  excavated  down 
and  walled  up  on  the  right ;  whilst  on  the  left  was  another  per- 
pendicular stone  wall,  beginning  on  a  level  with  the  piazza  or 
paved  square,  but  gradually  ascended,  as  an  inclined  plane,  with 
the  road,  till  the  summit  of  the  hill  was  reached,  at  which 
point  it  was  some  seventy  feet  high,  though  only  about  two  feet 
high  all  the  way  along  next  to  the  road  leading  up  to  the  gar- 
den. When  my  little  Julian  came  to  me  and  made  the  above 
request,  I  stopped  writing  and  looked  at  the  dear  little  fellow 
for  a  moment,  and  with  his  eyes  and  face  lit  up  with  perfect 
happiness,  I  thought  I  had  never  seen  a  more  perfect  picture 
of  childish  innocence  before.  I  gave  my  consent  to  his  re- 
quest, and,  with  a  kiss  and  the  usual  caution  to  be  careful  and 
not  stay  long,  I  again  turned  to  the  task  before  me,  little  think- 
ing of  the  dreadfully  sad  fate  that  awaited  my  little  Julian.  In 
less  than  half  an  hour  from  the  time  he  left  my  presence  a  ser- 
vant came  running  in  with  the  poodle  dog  in  her  arms,  and  in 
great  excitement  told  me,  in  her  native  Italian  language,  that 
"  my  little  Garcon  Juliana  had  fallen  over  the  Pincian  wall  and 
crushed  out  his  brains;  but  she  had  saved  his  little  dog." 
This  news  came  to  me  with  a  dreadful  shock,  and  hurrying 
out  on  the  Piazza  d'Espagnia,  I  learned  from  a  bank  clerk, 
who  met  me,  to  my  great  horror  and  dismay,  that  the  news 
brought  by  the  servant  girl  was  indeed,  alas,  true.  The  young 


318  AUTOBlOUKAi'ilV    Ui     TJlh    A I   i  IK  >K. 

man  informed  me  the  child  had  fallen  head  foremost  from  the 
high  wall  upon  which  he  had  climbed,  and  had  crushed  his 
skull  on  the  hard,  stone  pavement  below,  and  had  been  picked 
up  in  a  lifeless  condition,  and  carried  to  a  Jesuit  hospital  in 
the  Via  Corso,  nearly  half  a  mile  away.  I  went  to  the  spot  where 
he  had  fallen,  which  was  but  a  short  distance  away,  and  there 
saw  a  pool  of  blood  and  what  appeared  to  be  a  portion  of  the 
brain.  The  height  of  the  fall  showed,  by  actual  measurement 
afterwards,  to  be  thirty  feet.  I  jumped  into  a  cab,  and  was 
driven  rapidly  to  the  hospital,  but  was  refused  admission  for 
want  of  a  pass,  and  while  waiting  for  one  to  be  procured,  I  be- 
came impatient  and  rushed  past  the  guards,  who  stood  with 
muskets  and  bayonets  in  hand,  and,  at  the  risk  of  my  life,  as- 
cended a  long  flight  of  steps,  passed  through  almost  interminable 
halls,  guided  by  an  irresistible  impulse,  till  I  entered  a  door, 
there  to  behold,  stretched  upon  a  couch,  the  pale,  bleeding, 
and  apparently  lifeless  form  of  my  little  son.  His  eyes  were 
closed,  and  his  head  crushed  out  of  shape.  Lying  in  this  same 
great  room  were  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  other  pitiable, 
suffering  human  creatures.  The  sight  before  me  was  a  sicken- 
ing one.  After  having  thus  hastily  glanced  around  me,  and 
recognizing  the  body  of  my  darling  boy,  lying  upon  a  high 
couch  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  room,  I  immediately  went  to 
him.  I  placed  my  hand  upon  the  body,  to  find  it  had  not 
yet  grown  cold.  I  then  called  for  a  certain  medicine,  but  was 
told  it  was  not  in  the  dispensary,  and  if  it  was,  it  would  do  no 
good,  as  the  child  was  already  dead.  I  was  also  informed  that 
the  surgeons  and  physicians— of  whom  there  were  sixteen  in  at- 
tendance in  the  institution — had  examined  the  child,  and  pro- 
nounced him  dead  ;  and  that  the  Holy  Fathers  had  performed 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF    THE   AUTHOR.  319 

their  ceremony  over  him,  anointing  with  oil,  and  laid  him  out 
for  burial. 

Ail  of  this,  however,  was  unsatisfactory  to  me.  True,  the 
heart's  action  had  ceased,  the  pulses  were  gone,  and  life  had 
indeed  fled ;  but  the  body,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  had 
not  yet  grown  cold,  and  I,  as  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of 
the  great  Giver  of  life,  determined  not  to  be  thus  thwarted  in 
my  endeavors  to  restore  the  child  to  life  again.  I  therefore 
sent  immediately  to  the  nearest  pharmacy,  and  procured  the 
medicine  I  wanted,  and  began  to  administer  it  at  once,  inter- 
nally and  externally,  to  the  crushed  and  broken  skull  and  bleed- 
ing wounds.  I  also  assured  those  in  charge  the  child  was  mine, 
and  that  I  claimed  the  body,  dead  or  alive ;  that  it  had  been 
brought  there  without  my  knowledge  or  consent,  and  that  I  was 
going  to  remove  it  to  my  own  home.  But  I  met  with  great  op- 
position to  this,  as  there  is  an  ordinance  in  Rome  to  the  effect 
that  any  corporation  or  chartered  institution,  finding  a  dead 
body  unprotected  in  the  streets  or  elsewhere,  and  taking  it 
in  charge,  have  a  right  to  dispose  of  it  in  any  manner  they 
choose.  And  the  hospital  authorities  claimed  the  body  of  my 
child  had  come  into  their  possession  under  the  above  condi- 
tions. This  claim,  thus  persistently  urged,  now  seemed  to 
change  the  whole  aspect  of  the  case,  and  completely  bar  even 
the  possibility  of  my  getting  the  body  out  of  their  possession. 
Evening  was  rapidly  approaching  ;  some  hours  had  already 
been  consumed  in  my  contending  with  them  for  the  body  of  my 
child ;  and  I  well  knew  if  night  came  on  before  I  did  gain  pos- 
session of  and  move  the  body,  that,  according  to  their  fixed 
regulations,  every  one  who  did  not  belong  in  the  hospital  had 
to  be  shut  out ;  and  that  if  this  did  occur  with  me,  that  my  lit- 


320  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF  THE  AUTHOR. 

tie  Julian's  body  would  be  very  sure  to  be  conveyed  beyond 
my  reach  before  morning,  most  likely  to  the  dissecting  room,  or 
where  I  would  never  see  it  again.  And  knowing  all  this,  I  de- 
termined not  only  to  stay  by  and  cling  to  the  body,  but  to  use 
the  most  earnest  protestations,  arguments  and  remonstrances 
that  it  was  possible  to  do  against  their  course,  in  endeavoring 
to  get  possession  of  the  body  against  all  law  of  States,  nations 
and  countries ;  and  also  made  threats  of  bringing  the  power  of 
international  law  to  bear  upon  the  matter ;  and  in  this  way,  I,  at 
last,  through  intimidation,  and  partly  by  force,  took  possession 
of  the  body,  and  moved  it  to  my  rooms  before  night  came  on. 
Although  the  pulses  of  my  child,  as  I  have  already  said,  had 
long  since  ceased  to  beat,  and  there  was  no  sign  of  the  heart's 
action,  the  body  still  remained  warm.  On  a  careful  examination, 
I  found  the  skull  to  be  not  only  broken  to  pieces,  but  so  much 
shattered  and  crushed  that  the  upper  portion  seemed  to  have 
become  detached  from  the  lower  base;  and  I  found  it  not  only 
necessary  to  replace  it  in  its  proper  position,  but  to  reshape  and 
remodel  it  again,  as  if  it  were  a  ball  of  clay  or  piece  of  putty. 
On  the  left  side,  near  the  top  of  the  head,  was  an  opening 
broken  through  the  skull  sufficiently  large  to  admit  the  finger, 
from  which  the  blood  and  brain  was  oozing. 

I  will  not  prolong  the  history  of  this  terrible  calamity  which 
had  thus  fallen  upon  me  and  my  dear  boy,  by  giving  in  minute 
detail  the  methods  of  treatment,  but  will  only  add  that  he  lay  in  a 
motionless  and  apparently  lifeless  condition  seven  or  eight  days 
and  nights.  During  a  part  of  this  time  the  limbs  were  cold 
and  dead,  many  of  the  joints  seemed  dislocated,  and  decompo- 
sition seemed  to  be,  and  was  so  believed  by  many  to  have  tak- 
en place  to  such  a  degree  that  I  was  repeatedly  urged  to  con- 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY   OF   THE   AUTHOR.  321 

sent  to  the  "  burial  of  the  body,  as  it  was  dead  and  decompos- 
ing." And  the  matter  indeed  became  so  notorious  that  I  was 
keeping  the  dead  body  of  my  child  in  my  room,  instead  of  let- 
ting it  be  buried,  that  threats  were  made  that  if  I  did  not  con- 
sent, the  authorities  would  take  the  case  in  hand  and  take  pos- 
session of  it,  and  bury  it  at  any  hour. 

This  to  me  was  indeed  a  dreadful  thought,  for  I  felt  a  con- 
fidence from  the  first,  which  never  for  a  moment  became  shak- 
en, that  the  life  of  my  child  would  be  again  restored  to  me,  if 
I  could  only  keep  possession  of  the  body  long  enough.  When 
consciousness,  or  more  correctly  speaking,  life  had  been  restored, 
it  appeared  as  though  one  had  indeed  been  raised  from  the 
sleep  of  death.  And  although  the  season  of  the  year  was  un- 
favorable, the  weather  having  become  very  hot,  the  recovery 
was  rapid,  until  quite  convalescent.  The  excitement  occasioned 
in  Rome  by  this  calamity  was  from  the  first  of  no  ordinary 
character ;  and  it  became  greater  and  greater  from  day  to  day, 
as  the  report  became  widely  circulated  that  "the  American 
doctor  was  keeping  the  decomposing  body  of  his  dead  child  at 
his  Del  Caso,  in  the  Piazza  d'Espagnia,  instead  of  having  it 
buried  ;  and  that  he  was  laboring  under  the  strange  hallucina- 
tion that  the  dead  child  would  come  to  life  again." 

As  my  sanity  had  by  this  time  been  strongly  suspected  by 
many,  on  account  of  this  seemingly  strange  conduct  to  them, 
the  reader  can  imagine  the  general  commotion  likely  to  occur 
in  the  "  Eternal  City,"  when  it  became  known  the  "  child  had 
indeed  come  to  life  again."  So  great,  indeed,  was  the  general 
excitement  that  it  did  "make  Rome  howl."  One  must  live  in 
old  Rome  for  some  time  to  realize  the  unbounded  superstition 
of  her  people. 


322  AUTOBIOGRAPHY    OF   THE   AUTHOR. 

In  concluding  this  chapter,  I  will  state  that  a  prominent 
United  States  official,  then  residing  in  Rome,  telegraphed  to 
the  U.  S.  Secretary  at  Washington  that  "  the  little  son  of  Dr. 
Wasson,  an  American  citizen,  but  resident  of  Rome,  had  fallen 
from  a  high  wall  and  was  picked  up  dead,  and  that  the  terrible 
calamity  had  produced  such  a  shock  upon  the  mind  of  the 
father,  as  to  dethrone  his  reason,  and  that  he  was  removed  to  a 
hospital  or  asylum."  I  also  learned  afterwards,  that  it  had  been 
officially  telegraphed  to  Washington,  that  I  had  died  in  Rome. 
I  have  already  stated  in  a  preceding  chapter  that  I  had  passed 
through  a  very  protracted  and  severe  illness  in  that  place,  which 
occurred  immediately  after  the  partial  recovery  of  my  little  son, 
during  a  part  of  which  time  my  life  was  despaired  of,  and 
for  some  time  also  I  was  unconscious  of  life,  in  the  mortal 
body.  At  least  six  weeks  elapsed  from  the  time  I  was  first  taken 
with  fever,  known  as  the  pernicious  fever  of  Rome,  before  I 
was  able  to  leave  the  hospital ;  and  finding  it  impossible  to  re- 
gain my  health  and  strength  at  that  season  there,  taking  my 
little  son  with  me,  we  started  to  travel  and  spend  the  season  in 
that  way ;  but  as  strength  seemed  to  return  very  slowly,  I  thought 
a  sea  voyage  might  be  beneficial  to  us  both,  and  so  returned  to 
America  again,  and  having  done  so  afterwards  determined  to 
remain  in  the  United  States. 


T°  DESK 


LIBRARY  USE 


LOAN  DEPT. 


BORROWED 


LD  21-95m  7,'37 


YB    13100 


